Microsoft Plans to Appeal European Antitrust Decision

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer vowed to fight the European Commission's antitrust ruling, arguing that all companies, even ones with a near monopoly, have a right to improve their products. Ballmer's comments follow a decision by the European Commission, which involved ordering Microsoft to offer a version of Windows that comes without the Windows Media Player and to share enough of its intellectual property to enable server industry rivals to sell machines that can effectively interoperate with Windows-based computers.