"The European Commission is considering whether to order Microsoft to hand over internal memos revealed in the International Herald Tribune and New York Times that describe sales practices the European regulator suspects may break its antitrust rules, people close to the Commission said Thursday...
"Most discounting is viewed as normal competitive business behavior, but European Union antitrust law prohibits companies that dominate their markets from offering big discounts if their main aim is to exclude rivals, or if the discounts are only offered to certain clients.
"Dominant firms can only justify discounts under EU rules if they can prove that the discounts are designed to generate cost savings, rather than purely being a way to beat off the competition..."
