Microsoft Antitrust Appeal Rejected

A long-awaited decision by the European Court of First Instance finally came down on September 17, 2007. Microsoft's appeal of a 2004 EU Commission antitrust ruling that imposed a staggering fine on the software company was dismissed by the Court. The decision upheld the EUR 497 million, or $689 million fine which the Commission imposed for anti-trust violations and abuse of dominant position. The Court's decision is here. Microsoft's reaction delivered by Brad Smith, Microsoft's General Counsel, is here. WSJ's Law Blog readers, among many others, are really going after those European judges for punishing innovation (typical for those socialist Europeans). What they should be going after, though, is the lawmakers, since judges in Europe can only stick to blackletter rules. That is, of course, if these pissed-off software and economics experts care to read the opinion before telling Microsoft to pull out of Europe.