Microsoft Draws E.U. Scrutiny

The European Union has asked Symantec for info following Redmond's move into security.
By Priya Ganapati
October 7, 2005

The European Union has requested information from security software maker Symantec to determine whether Microsoft’s recently announced security products may violate any antitrust regulations, analysts said Friday.

Symantec, the maker of the popular Norton antivirus software, said Friday it has responded to the E.U.’s request for information but denied that the company had lodged a formal complaint with the E.U. The discussions with the E.U. were in response to its queries, said Symantec spokesperson Genevieve Haldeman.

“As we’ve said in the past, we will compete with Microsoft in the markets, not in the courts, as long as there is a level playing field,” she said.

This is not the first time Microsoft’s actions have raised eyebrows among E.U. officials. Last year, Microsoft incurred the E.U.’s wrath after bundling its Windows media player with the company’s operating systems, which the E.U. said stifled competition. Microsoft was fined $613 million, the highest ever in any European competition case.

More at Red Herring Online