Microsoft gets more time to reply EU’s antitrust charges

BRUSSELS - Microsoft had been given one more week to answer charges filed by the European Union (EU) that the US software giant abused its dominant market position by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows.

A spokeswoman of the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, confirmed Thursday that Microsoft now has until April 28 to respond.

This is Microsoft’s second extension. The commission formally charged Microsoft in January, saying Microsoft’s tying of its web browser Internet Explorer to its dominant client PC operating system Windows infringes EU rules on abuse of a dominant position.

The tying ‘harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice,’ the commission noted.

At that time Microsoft was given eight weeks to respond to the charges. The deadline was later extended to April 21 and it has now been pushed back another week.