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European regulators have launched a surprise new attack on Microsoft over the company’s inclusion of the Internet Explorer browser in its Windows operating system, writes expert of “Financial Times”.

The case is a direct echo of the first big Microsoft antitrust battle, when the US accused it of unfairly blocking internet pioneer Netscape during the “browser wars” of the mid-1990s.

If the latest regulatory attack is successful, European internet users could find it more convenient to use browsers other than Internet Explorer, which emerged as the industry standard after Netscape was defeated.

The browser has returned to the forefront in the struggle for dominance on the web, given the ability of browser companies to steer users towards their own online services. Also, with software applications increasingly having both online and PC-based elements, the browser has come to be seen as a strategic piece of software, prompting Google to launch Chrome last year.

The complaint from European Union regulators came in a statement of objections privately sent to Microsoft on Thursday. After Microsoft disclosed the existence of the complaint late on Friday, the European Commission confirmed its objection.
It said its preliminary conclusion was that the “bundling” of Internet Explorer with Windows harmed competition, undermined product innovation and ultimately reduced consumer choice.