EU Ends Microsoft Antitrust Fight

After a decade of back-and-forth battles and $2.44 billion in fines, Microsoft and European anti-trust officials have finally made peace.

The software giant has reached an agreement with the European Union's enforcement arm, the European Commission, that would allow consumers in the EU to block Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser and choose another instead.

"Millions of European consumers will benefit from this decision by having a free choice about which web browser they use," Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, was quoted as saying in the Wall Street Journal.

Microsoft has agreed to deliver Windows consumers a ballot screen allowing them to choose a browser other than Internet Explorer.

European regulators had for years accused the software giant of smothering competition by including IE in its Windows operating system.

The commission is also dropping an investigation into Microsoft on making its Office software work with competitors' software.

Over the years, Microsoft's dealings with the European regulators have been extremely contentious, with Brussels fining Microsoft more than $2 billion over the past 10 years for breaches of antitrust rules.