Microsoft Caves on EU Antitrust Suit

Microsoft is conceding its 9-year antitrust battle with the EU after striking a deal that will force the software giant to license its software secrets to anyone who asks at drastically reduced rates. In exchange, the EU has stopped the daily variable fines of up to 3 million euro that have been piling up, the Journal reports.

EU antitrust regulators look powerful now, with legal precedent to back tough rhetoric. Microsoft must sell licenses for a one-time 10,000-euro fee, rather than steep royalties. Worse, Microsoft must license to open-source developers, who can now bare Windows’ secrets to the world. How much Microsoft will pay in fines is unclear, but the total could be 1 billion euros. (More Microsoft stories.)