Simon Taylor

If a proposed E.U. software directive is approved, innovative companies could be forced out of business by the need to pay licensing fees to avoid infringing patent rights, warns one software executive.

A group of some of the world's leading IT and telecommunications companies have warned that Europe could become a "haven for plagiarism" if the European Parliament fails to agree to allow patent protection for inventions implemented by computer.

The European Union (E.U.) judge ruling on whether to suspend sanctions against Microsoft Corp. could deliver his verdict as early as mid-November, sources familiar with the process said Friday.

The European Commission has asked four European Union (E.U.) countries to justify why they favour Intel Corp. processors in computers for public authorities, it announced Wednesday.

The European Commission has restarted its investigation into Oracle Corp.'s hostile bid to acquire PeopleSoft Inc. and will issue its judgement by early November at the latest, it said on Thursday.

The judge deciding whether Microsoft Corp. must comply with the European Commission's remedies for the company's antitrust violations questioned Friday whether the steps ordered by the Commission will effectively curb Microsoft's power.

A clash between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers over the European Union (E.U.) software patents directive looks almost certain after the assembly chose an outspoken opponent of the legislation to draw up its response to the Council.

The war of words over Microsoft Corp.'s business practices continued at a Luxembourg court on Friday with the its opponents arguing that unless the company offers a version its operating system without Windows Media Player, Microsoft will extend its quasi-monopoly in the PC market over the digital media sector.