The European Commission is threatening a “significant fine” against Microsoft for bundling its Web browser into Windows and may require the company to offer a range of competing browsers in all new PCs.
This disclosure is related to the commission’s antitrust investigation into Microsoft and was revealed in a note to investors on Jan. 22. The software maker has until March 12 to respond to the commission’s objections to Internet Explorer, which Microsoft has bundled into Windows since 1996.
The commission, which is the executive arm of the European Union, opened the case in January 2008 after receiving a complaint from Opera, a browser maker in Norway.
In its note to investors, Microsoft said that computer users and makers were already free to run any Web browser in Windows. Still, the company said, the commission may seek a “significant fine.”
Referring to original equipment manufacturers, Microsoft told shareholders: “The commission is considering ordering Microsoft and OEMs to obligate users to choose a particular browser when setting up a new PC. Such a remedy might include a requirement that OEMs distribute multiple browsers on new Windows-based PCs.”
Microsoft said the commission might require consumers logging on to a new PC to choose a default browser from a range of browsers provided by Microsoft and the computer maker. Microsoft said it might also be required to deactivate Internet Explorer on devices where consumers choose another browser.
Jonathan Todd, a commission spokesman, said Microsoft might be required to offer software from its competitors with Windows if the concerns outlined in the commis