Discussions aimed at resolving the European Commission's investigation of Microsoft Corp. have concluded today in a spirit of professionalism and cooperation but without a settlement, Microsoft confirmed today.
"I believe we reached agreement on the issues of the case," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft. "But we were unable to agree on principles for new issues that could arise in the future."
We worked very hard to try to resolve these issues without litigation," Ballmer added. "Because of the tremendous value we attach to our relations with governments all across Europe, we made every possible effort to settle the case, and I hope that perhaps we can still settle the case at a later stage."
Microsoft officials negotiated virtually nonstop for the past several months with Commission officials, offering a number of proposals aimed at addressing the Commission's concerns about interoperability and media player technology.
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