Microsoft Corp said on Monday it would not appeal a European Union court order to immediately implement antitrust sanctions, but that it remained optimistic it would eventually prevail in its main case. In December, the software giant lost a bid to delay sanctions imposed by the EU's executive Commission, but it is continuing with a separate, main appeal against the Commission's decision that Microsoft had abused its dominance.
"Microsoft has decided to forego its right to appeal the Court of First Instance's ... ruling of December 22, 2004," it said in a statement.
"Rather than seeking to suspend the Commission's remedies, Microsoft's focus now is on working constructively with the Commission on their full and prompt implementation." The sanctions compel the world's largest software maker to introduce a stripped-down version of its computer operating system without its Windows Media Player music and video software.
Microsoft said a European edition of Windows without Media Player would be available "in the coming weeks," and it had made specifications available to rival makers of server software - a second key Commission order.
But Microsoft said it would continue to appeal the Commission's landmark competition ruling from March 2004.
"We remain very optimistic as we move forward in this process, and are encouraged that the December court order noted that a number of Microsoft's arguments could provide a basis for overturning the EC's decision," Microsoft said.