When Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer flew to Brussels last week, he was carrying an eleventh-hour offer to settle the European Union's antitrust complaints against the company. But the E.U.'s antitrust czar, Mario Monti, wasn't swayed. Monti will proceed with his plans to punish the software giant for allegedly abusing its monopoly and harming competitors and consumers. Details will be announced this week, but the E.U.'s action promises to be the sharpest regulatory rebuke Microsoft has received, far harsher than the settlement the company made with the U.S. Justice Department and several states two years ago.
The Europeans will order...
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