Microsoft has lost its appeal against a record $690 million fine imposed by the European Commission for abusing its monopolistic position and thereby damaging the interests of European consumers. Microsoft has two months to appeal at the European Court of Justice, but has not yet decided on its next legal steps. However, the company has pledged to comply with the judgment of the European Court of First Instance:
"We are 100 per cent committed to complying with every decision of the court. The decision is not what we hoped for, and to say so would be less than candid. But it does provide clarity and we hope to develop our relationship with the EU. "
The only part of the decision that went in Microsoft's favor was the court's overturn of regulators' decision to appoint a monitoring trustee to watch how Microsoft had complied with the ruling, saying this has no legal basis in community law. In addition to the fine, the court decision also obliges the software giant to share communications code with rivals and sell a copy of Windows without Media Player.