Microsoft Fined Record EU899 Million by EU Regulator (Matthew Newman)

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Microsoft Corp., the world's biggest software maker, was fined 899 million euros ($1.35 billion) by European Union regulators for failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust order, the largest EU fine ever imposed against a single company.

The company overcharged for patent licenses that rivals needed to connect products to the Windows platform, the European Commission said. The fine brings the total penalty against the company to 1.68 billion euros in the case.

``Microsoft was the first company in 50 years of EU competition policy that the commission has had to fine for failure to comply with an antitrust decision,'' European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement today in Brussels. ``I hope that today's decision closes a dark chapter in Microsoft's record of non-compliance.''

Microsoft has tried to allay European antitrust concerns, announcing last week that it will help competitors' software work better with some products, such as Office. While today's ruling ends the 2004 antitrust case, for which the company was fined a then record 497 million euros, last month the EU opened two new probes into Microsoft's business practices.

Microsoft said in a statement that it would review the decision. The Redmond, Washington-based company sought to limit potential EU fines by agreeing in October to make network data available to open-source software developers so server software can connect to the Windows operating system.