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On October 22, 2007, Microsoft Corporation announced that it would not appeal the September 17, 2007 decision of the European Union’s Court of First Instance.  The Court of First Instance ruled in 2004 that Microsoft violated Article 82 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area.  The Court of First Instance decided that Microsoft leveraged its dominant position in the market for desktop operating system software to impair competition in violation of antitrust laws. The decision by Microsoft ended a between European Union antitrust regulators and Microsoft.

Firms with a dominant market position may be required to license their technology to competitors in order to ensure competition.