European Commission ruling on Microsoft near

The European Commission is close to a showdown in its Microsoft case that will test its ability to force the world's largest software company to change its business practices.

Last week, the commission said again that it intended to fine Microsoft for damaging competition in the past and would require that it change its business practices to preserve competition.

In the United States, Microsoft has tended to challenge Government-imposed orders in court, delaying their effect. But things may be different in Europe. Brussels fines and sanctions bite immediately, and it would be unusual for a court to suspend a final commission ruling while it was challenged.

That is important because time is the enemy of antitrust enforcement - already a problem in a case that began in 1999. The case covers low-end servers used by small groups of users in business and Media Player, a program used to display streaming video and audio sent over the Internet.

Commission investigators are concerned that during the years they looked into the low-end server market Microsoft's share jumped from under 40 per cent to about 70 per cent, EU sources say.