Microsoft fined in ?9m

Microsoft has been fined €9 million by the German Bundeskartellamt agency after it was found to have fixed prices of its Office Home and Student 2007 software suite with an unnamed German retailer.

German authorities felt that Microsoft had acted illegally by trying to coordinate the pricing activities of the retailer.

The retailer received financial support from Microsoft to run an advertising drive, but the Bundeskartellamt found that prior to the launch of the campaign the two companies had agreed on the resale price of the product.