'Selfless' Microsoft hits out at EC ruling

An apparently selfless Microsoft has hit out at the EC claiming Brussels' antitrust sanctions amount to a "new law" that could hurt others in the technology industry.

The timing of its attack steals the EU's thunder ahead of the publication of the full report on the software behemoth expected today.

A seven-page paper, posted late Wednesday on Microsoft's website, is a cross between a treatise and a legal brief, citing both the potential damage of the ruling as well as alleged legal shortcomings of the decision.

"The Commission is seeking to make new law that will have an adverse impact on intellectual property rights and the ability of dominant firms to innovate," Microsoft said. "This adverse impact will not be confined to the software industry or to Europe."

In its detailed response to the EU action on Wednesday, Microsoft tried to cast the ruling as one that will stifle creativity at Microsoft and beyond.

"We live in a world in which most products result from combining a variety of individual components. Indeed, product innovation results in no small measure from such integration," Microsoft said. "The decision opens the door to intrusive regulation of product design - not to mention a record fine - based on a complaint by a single component supplier, even when this integration is the market norm and other suppliers continue to grow. Such a result, if allowed to stand, would almost certainly spell bad news for the European and global economies."

The release of the paper comes just as the European Union is preparing to issue the full 300-page text of its ruling against Microsoft. The software maker has already seen the report, which is expected to be made public on Thursday.

Ina Fried writes for News.com