FACTBOX - Microsoft's legal troubles in EU, U.S., Asia

Mon Sep 10, 2007 3:29pm BST
 
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) has 95 percent of the operating system market for the world's 1 billion computers and servers. It has paid $5.6 billion (2.6 billion pounds) in fines and settlements so far in private and public antitrust actions, but avoided any major forced changes in its business practices:

-- U.S. courts found in 2000 and 2001 that it abused its monopoly.

-- The European Commission, finding in 2004 that Microsoft abused its dominance, ordered a change in business practices. It fined the company 497 million euros ($685.4 million) then in 2006 imposed an extra penalty of 280.5 million euros for not complying.

-- Microsoft has paid more than $4.5 billion to settle private cases. That includes $750 million to AOL-Time Warner in 2003, $2 billion to Sun Microsystems (JAVA.O), $440 million to InterTrust Technologies, $536 million to Novell (NOVL.O), $20 million to the Computer & Communications Industry Association in 2004 and $761 million to RealNetworks (RNWK.O) in 2005.

-- The South Korean Fair Trade Commission fined Microsoft $32 million in 2005 for blocking competition and ordered it to separate its instant messaging system from Windows.

-- Hungary raided a Microsoft subsidiary this year on suspicion of abusing its market power in dealing with software distributors.

 
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