Microsoft gets delay on deadline in Europe

The European Commission said Sunday that it would not enforce a Monday deadline for Microsoft to start selling a modified version of its Windows operating system in Europe, and would instead wait until an appellate court in Luxembourg had its say. Microsoft on Friday asked the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg to suspend the order, as well as another commission-ordered change, while the court hears its appeal of the commission's antitrust ruling in March. . In addition to a E497.2 million, or $604.6 million, fine, the commission ordered Microsoft to start selling a new version of Windows without its Media Player software, alongside the version it sells now with the audio-and video-playing program built into the operating system. It told the company to introduce the new version of Windows within 90 days, a period that expires on Monday. . It gave the company until July 27 to begin sharing secret information about Windows with rivals, to allow them to make products that interoperate with the omnipresent Windows operating system. . But instead of insisting on the deadlines in its ruling, the commission said Sunday that it was "not appropriate" to enforce the remedies before the Court of First Instance has decided whether to suspend the remedies for the duration of the appeal or not.