Categories: BrowsersPCWorkspace

Microsoft Windows Browser Choice Under EU Investigation

European Commission has today opened an investigation to establish whether Microsoft followed rules set out in a December 2009 agreement, which forced it to offer a choice of alternatives to the Internet Explorer web browser.

The Commission said it has obtained fresh evidence that suggests millions of Europeans who are using Windows 7 have never seen the automatic “ballot screen” offering a choice of browsers, although Microsoft had claimed it followed the agreement to the letter. It now faces heavy fines if found to have breached the agreement.

The one and only

In 2009, Microsoft signed a legally binding agreement designed to offset its dominance in the browser market, caused by the bundling of Internet Explorer with almost every copy of Windows since 1995.

Under the agreement, the company was expected to offer an automatic “ballot screen” that would let European Windows users choose between 12 different browsers. Microsoft opted for this solution over the unpleasant alternative of removing traces of any browsers from Windows 7 altogether.

The ballot screen was provided as of March 2010 and was supposed to be available at least until 2014.

However, the Commission said it has received information that indicates Microsoft failed to introduce the browser choice screen with the first Service Pack for Windows 7, despite claims to the contrary made in the vendor’s annual report.

The Commission claimed “millions of Windows users in the EU may have not seen the choice screen”, and has promised to treat the case as a matter of priority.

“We take compliance with our decisions very seriously. And I trusted the company’s reports were accurate. But it seems that was not the case, so we have immediately taken action. If following our investigation, the infringement is confirmed, Microsoft should expect sanctions,” said Joaquín Almunia, vice president of the Commission in charge of competition policy.

If the Commission finds that Microsoft has breached legally binding commitments, it may be fined up to 10 percent of its total annual turnover.  Which, in this particular case, would be up to 10 percent of Microsoft’s $69.94 billion revenue for 2011, or almost $7 billion.

That would make the company’s record-breaking €860 million antitrust fine, imposed by European regulators in 2008, look like small change.

How well do you know your web browsers? Take our quiz!

Max Smolaks

Max 'Beast from the East' Smolaks covers open source, public sector, startups and technology of the future at TechWeekEurope. If you find him looking lost on the streets of London, feed him coffee and sugar.

View Comments

  • Further proof that the EU is totally out of touch with what people want and need. Users have always had a choice you just download what you want!

    The Browser choice options in just a pain making the installation more difficult - unfortunately its been on every copy of windows I've installed.

    The EU commission might better spend their time taking on the real villains locked in systems such as Apple. How a company is allowed to have such a large market share and still be allowed to force customers to purchase applications only through a monopoly is beyond me.

  • If they are found to infringe (or not really) then the EU should really hurt MS and migrate away from their OS altogether.

    It seems to be working out fine for Munich.

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