Microsoft Appeal Of EU Antitrust Decision Expected

The U.S. software giant plans to ask the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg to suspend the sanctions imposed on it in the March 24 EU decision, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

A court hearing on that aspect is expected in a couple months, while the full appeal is likely to take years.

After a five-year investigation, the European Commission fined Microsoft nearly $600 million for abusively wielding its Windows software monopoly to gain advantage in related markets for digital media players and servers.

The EU also ordered Microsoft to produce a version of Windows without Microsoft's own Media Player already included and to share more software code with server rivals so their products can interoperate with Windows as smoothly as Microsoft's server software does.

Microsoft is expected to argue that the order amounts to an unjustified violation of its intellectual property rights.

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