Microsoft will face off against the European Commission on Sept. 30 in a European Union court in Luxembourg, seeking a suspension of sanctions against it for several years, the court announced on Tuesday.
The Commission found that Microsoft abused its dominance of PC operating systems and in March ordered the software giant to make changes by mid-June to create a more level playing field for rivals. Microsoft appealed and asked the Court of First Instance to suspend the sanctions until the case is completed, probably three or more years from now.
"The President of the Court of First Instance has set the 30 September-1 October as the date for an oral hearing concerning Microsoft"s request for suspension of the Commission"s decision and other interim measures," the court said in a statement. The EU says that if the remedies are suspended they will become irrelevant by the time the case is over, years from now, while Microsoft says the sanctions will damage the company in ways that cannot be undone.