The European Commission has given Microsoft an additional month to comply with a part of its antitrust ruling that requires Microsoft to provide information allowing competitors' server products to interoperate with its software.
Microsoft now has until Feb. 15 to provide documentation that will allow non-Microsoft workgroup servers to interoperate smoothly with Windows clients and servers, a Commission spokeswoman said Tuesday. The deadline had been due to expire Wednesday, when Microsoft could have faced daily fines of €2 million ($2.4 million) for noncompliance.
The extension follows a sharp exchange between the two sides on Dec. 22, when the Commission said Microsoft had failed to comply fully with its March 2004 antitrust decision. Microsoft shot back that it had paid a historic fine and provided unprecedented access to its technology, and also requested an extension.
