The European Commission on Wednesday fined
Microsoft (
MSFT) €561 million, equal to roughly $731 million, for
failing to properly inform users of alternative Web browser options. The company was required to offer users a browser choice screen in
Windows 7 that would allow them to easily choose their preferred Web browser, however it failed to do so from May 2011 through July 2012. The Commission found that more than 15 million Windows users in Europe did not see this screen over the course of a year. Microsoft acknowledged its mistake, noting that it takes “full responsibility for the technical error that caused this problem and have apologized for it.” The company does not plan to appeal the fine. The European Commission’s press release follows below.
Continue reading…