[JURIST] Microsoft [corporate website; JURIST news archive] announced Wednesday that it has withdrawn its last two appeals [press release] of a European Union antitrust ruling [text; EU materials] requiring the software giant to share technical information with competitors. The software giant dropped an appeal of the €280.5 million fine imposed on it in July 2006 for antitrust violations and a second appeal of a European Commission order that the company license its programs to open source systems like Linux. On Monday, the European Commission [official website] said that Microsoft had agreed to take the necessary steps [JURIST report] to comply with its ruling by allowing open source software developers to access and use interoperability information and by reducing the royalties for a worldwide license.

Last month the European Court of First Instance upheld [text] the European Commission's 2004 landmark ruling [JURIST report] against Microsoft's appeal [JURIST report] of the $613 million fine and order for Microsoft to share its communications code with competitors. The court agreed with the Commission that Microsoft had abused its monopoly power [JURIST report] in the computer market by trying to force consumers into buying Microsoft software, noting that selling media software with its Windows operating system damaged European competitors. AP has more.