Any agreement would have to resolve a case over Microsoft’s Internet browser as well as a separate probe into word processing and spreadsheet software, said the people, who declined to be identified because the talks are confidential.
Settlement discussions, which include senior EU and company officials, come after Microsoft canceled a June hearing in the browser case, complaining not enough EU and national competition authorities would be able to attend. Microsoft rivals Google Inc. and Mozilla Corp. received permission from the EU to submit arguments in the Internet Explorer case.
Microsoft is trying to settle the investigations before Kroes steps down at the end of the year, the people said. Kroes has said she would try to resolve the case before she left office.
Jesse Verstraete, a Microsoft spokesman in Brussels, and Jonathan Todd, a European Commission spokesman, declined to comment.
The commission has said it is considering forcing the Redmond, Washington-based company to offer consumers a choice of browsers when setting up a new personal computer on a so-called ballot screen. Microsoft responded by saying it would ship Windows 7 operating system software without Internet Explorer to avoid breaking EU law.
In the other case, the EU is investigating complaints that Microsoft doesn’t provide formatting and other information to allow rival products to work with Microsoft Office software including Word and Excel.
The commission has fined Microsoft a total of 1.68 billion euros for abusing its market dominance and failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust order. The company is appealing an 899 million-euro fine for not complying with EU orders in the case.
Source Blooberg
