Microsoft wins EU deadline extension

Microsoft now has until 15 February to meet the EU demands

Microsoft has been granted an extra three weeks by the EU to comply with the technical requirements placed on the company after losing its case over anti-competitive practices. 

An EU spokeswoman confirmed to vnunet.com that Microsoft now has until 15 February to meet the EU demands.

Under the terms of the case Microsoft has to release details of its software to aid other manufacturers in connecting to its applications.

Microsoft announced yesterday that it had handed over the source code for Windows Server to the EU, going further than was required to in order to comply. 

If Microsoft misses the new deadline the EU will start levying fines of over £1m a day. Earlier submissions from Microsoft on its server product line were rejected by the EU in December as incomplete.

The software giant could also face trouble in the US for failing to comply with the terms of its agreement with the Department of Justice over its anti-trust case. In a court filing the department complained about its submissions to the Technical Committee set up to license Windows client software to third parties.

"Since approximately mid-November, Microsoft has fallen significantly behind in responding to technical documentation issues submitted by the Technical Committee," stated the DoJ in a court filing obtained by Computer Business Review.

"Currently, Microsoft's inability to meet the service level guidelines interferes with the Committee's ability to pursue its prototype implementation project and impairs the Committee's ability to complete the project in a timely manner.

"It also means that MCPP licensees are receiving corrections and other edits to the technical documentation later."