Microsoft Corporation

The world’s number onw software company provides a variety of products and services, including its Windows operating systems and Office software suite. The company has expanded into markets such as video game consoles, interactive television, and Internet access. With its core markets maturing, Microsoft is targeting services for growth, looking to transform its software applications into Web-based services for enterprises and consumers. Microsoft has reached a settlement to end an ongoing antitrust investigation, agreeing to uniformly license its operating systems and allow manufacturers to include competing software with Windows.

Microsoft Corp.
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Phone: 425-882-8080
Fax: 425-936-7329

Microsoft must pay $290m for patent infringement

The US Supreme Court has denied an appeal by Microsoft against a $290m verdict for infringing a small Canadian company’s patent.

The company, i4i, sued Microsoft in 2007, saying it owned the technology behind a text manipulation tool used in Microsoft’s Word application.

The technology gave Word 2003 and Word 2007 users an improved way of using a document’s contents

EU fines Microsoft record $1.4bn

The European Commission has fined US computer giant Microsoft for defying sanctions imposed on it for anti-competitive behaviour.

Microsoft must now pay a record 899m euros ($1.4bn; £680

Microsoft loses anti-trust appeal

Microsoft has lost its appeal against a record 497m euro (£343m; $690m) fine imposed by the European Commission in a long-running competition dispute.

The European Court of First Instance upheld the ruling that Microsoft had abused its dominant market position.

A probe concluded in 2004 that Microsoft was guilty of freezing out rivals in server software and products such as media players

Microsoft accused over Vista row

European Union Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes has accused Microsoft of orchestrating a “co-ordinated campaign” to discredit her.

Ms Kroes’ comments have come as her department and the US software giant continue to clash over Microsoft’s forthcoming Vista operating system.

In an open letter to the Financial Times, Ms Kroes insisted she was not running a “vendetta” against the firm

Microsoft hit with 280m euro fine

Microsoft has been fined 280.5m euros ($357m; £194m) by the European Commission for failing to comply with an anti-competition ruling.

The software giant will appeal against the fine which follows a long-running dispute between it and EU regulators

Microsoft loses out again in EU row

Microsoft has lost the latest round of its battle against sanctions in Europe.

A US judge quashed the firm’s demands that rival Novell hand over documents it presented to the European Commission for use in an anti-trust case.

The judge in the case said he had turned down the request as Microsoft was trying to “circumvent and undermine” European law

Microsoft faces new fines threat

Microsoft’s efforts to comply with the European Commission’s anti-competition ruling are “entirely inadequate”, Brussels has warned.

The Commission said it would impose fines of up to 2m euros (£1.4m) a day if the firm continued to drag its feet

Microsoft may still face EU fine

Microsoft’s offer to allow rivals access to its software blueprint may not be enough to prevent European Union action, the EU has warned.

The EU has threatened to fine the group 2m euros (£1.4m; $2

Microsoft may face daily EU fine

The European Commission has threatened to fine Microsoft up to 2m euros (£1.36m; $2.4m) a day until it gives rivals more access to its systems

South Korea fines Microsoft $32m

Microsoft has been fined 33bn won ($32m; £18.4m) following an antitrust ruling by South Korean regulators.

The US software giant was ordered to unbundle its messaging service from its Windows software by South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission