The European Union has announced that it is dropping the antitrust charges against Microsoft after the company agreed to provide Windows users with an option to install 12 other browsers.
Under the terms of the agreement with regulators, Microsoft will avoid fines if it provides an option that allows European users to replace Internet Explorer or add another web browser such as Firefox or Google Chrome. This will also allow manufacturers to ship PCs without IE in the European Union.
Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith stated that the company was happy with "final resolution of several long-standing competition law issues in Europe" and looked forward to building "on the dialogue and trust that has been established between Microsoft and the Commission."
Microsoft is not out of line yet as it was warned it can still be fined up to 10 percent of its global turnover without regulators having to prove their case if it doesn’t accept its commitment for the next 5 years.
The agreement comes after more than ten years of EU antitrust action against the world’s biggest software company that has already paid 1.7 billion Euro in fines for its monopolistic actions.
Earlier, the EU charged Microsoft with monopoly abuse for tying its browser, Internet Explorer to the Windows operating system software used on most desktop computers.
The choice popup screen will list the 12 most-widely used Web browsers running on Windows. Users can choose from Apple’s Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, AOL, Maxthon, K-Meleon, Flock, Avant Browser, Sleipnir and Slim Browser.
User can keep Internet Explorer if they want but they will be exposed to other web browsers, providing a massive new audience to many smaller browser makers. The choice of browsers will be updated every six months on the basis of several independent sources of market share information.
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