The European Commission fines Microsoft €561 million for non-compliance

Microsoft’s failure to implement the “browser choice” screen option to European Windows users with its Windows 7 Service Pack 1 prompted the European Commission (EC) to impose a €561 million ($732 million) fine on the US software giant.

In 2009, the Commission launched an antitrust investigation against Microsoft over competition issues that stemmed from bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows operating system. Microsoft committed to comply by offering a clear choice of browser to EU Windows users. This should enable users to select between Internet Explorer, Opera Browser, Firefox, or Chrome to be the default browser when Windows is launched for the first time.

The Commission made legally binding the commitments offered by Microsoft but the US software company failed to adhere to the agreement. Joaquín Almunia, the Commission’s vice president emphasized the importance of fulfilling legally binding commitments and the serious repercussions of non-compliance during a press conference in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday.

(See also: Antitrust: Commission fines Microsoft for non-compliance with browser choice commitments)

This is not the first time Microsoft has been slapped with fine by the European Union Commission. Microsoft has yet to release an official statement about this issue.