The European Union (EU) fines Microsoft $1.35 billion for not complying with a 2004 antitrust order and for its tardiness in making operating systems more accessible to competitors.

The case dates back to 2004 when the Commission ruled after a five-year probe that Microsoft had abused its share of the market for operating systems running personal computers thanks to its Windows program.

In particular, it accused Microsoft of using its stranglehold on PC operating systems to elbow rivals out of the more competitive markets for media players that play music and videos, and operating systems running back-office servers.