EU kennels Microsoft watchdog

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The EU has decided that it has no need to employ someone full time to monitor Microsoft’s activities.

Instead the European Commission that it would use ad hoc technical consultants to ensure that Microsoft complied with a 2004 antitrust decision.

Since 2005 the EU had used a full time full-time independent monitoring trustee to ensure that Microsoft provided interoperability information to rivals following its 2004 ruling that the firm abused its dominance in the PC operating system market.

The Commission, which polices competition in the 27-nation bloc, has fined Microsoft 1.68 billion euros (£1.49 billion) related to antitrust decisions.

"The Commission no longer requires a full-time monitoring trustee to assess Microsoft's compliance," the executive body said in a statement, citing changes in Microsoft's behaviour, more opportunities for third parties to exercise their rights in national courts and experience gained since 2004.

It said it would rely on the ad hoc advice of technical consultants in future.

The Commission in January accused Microsoft of quashing competition by bundling its Internet Explorer web browser with Windows. It gave the company eight weeks to reply to the charges.

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