Microsoft Product Raises EU Concerns

The European Union expressed concern for the first time Wednesday that Microsoft’s new Vista operating system could break antitrust rules, a day before the company defends itself against EU charges that it has not obeyed an earlier ruling.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes wrote to Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to outline concerns that Vista’s new functions could mean customers would not be offered a real choice on software packages, EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said Wednesday.

“We’re concerned about the possibility that the next Vista operating system will include various elements which are currently available separately either from Microsoft or other companies,” he said.

Todd highlighted Vista’s integrated Internet search, digital rights management used to protect copyrights and software that would create document formats comparable to Adobe’s PDF.

Todd said Kroes’ letter came after Microsoft had asked regulators to set out any possible antitrust problems with Vista.

Windows Vista is Microsoft’s first major update to the company’s flagship operating system since Windows XP was released in late 2001.

Microsoft said it could not comment on the letter because it had not received it. But it said that customers were free to use a wide range of products made by its competitors.

Vista’s ability to work with rival products also comes under EU scrutiny. “There is also the possibility that we won’t have all the necessary technical information so that competitors will be able to make a product that is compatible with Vista,” Todd said.

Microsoft announced last week that the consumer version of Vista would be delayed until early next year. A version for large business customers is due out in November.

In other developments, a U.S. District Court in California on Wednesday quashed an attempt by Microsoft to force Sun Microsystems Inc. and Oracle Corp. to provide documents in its battle with the European Commission.

But judges in New York and Boston are still considering similar requests against IBM Corp. and Novell Inc., lawyers for one of the companies said.

Shares of Microsoft rose 12 cents to $27.02.