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September 5, 2008 11:54:49 PM CDT

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Microsoft Tries to Appease EU With Blueprints

Posted Feb 21, 08 5:41 PM CST in Technology,  Business 

(Newser) – Microsoft plans to share the secrets of its most popular products, the company announced today, in an effort to satisfy EU regulators who want the software giant to improve its interoperability. The European Commission did cautiously applaud the move, but noted that Microsoft has already made at least four similar statements, to little effect, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Microsoft also promised not to sue non-commercial open source developers, to lower the royalty rates for its patented code, and increase the file format options in its Office suite. Microsoft struck a deal with regulators in October to give open source developers access to its interoperability blueprints, but since then the Commission has launched two new investigations.

Source Wall Street Journal

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Microsoft founder Bill Gates speaks to university and high school students during a stop in Waterloo, Ont., Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld)   (Associated Press)
Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, speaks during Tech.Ed, a technology conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in this Nov. 7, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo/Ng Han...   (Associated Press)
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Microsoft  • European Union  • antitrust  • Microsoft Vista  • European Commission  • open source  • Microsoft Office


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