Europe isn’t going to get Windows 7. Oh no, we’re special, and are consequently going to get Windows 7 E, a version of the Vista successor without Internet Explorer built-in. Microsoft decided on this course of action to appease EU regulators’ antitrust concerns about IE being bundled with all copies of Microsoft operating systems.

Microsoft could find itself in the embarrassing position of funding Macs for schools. It’s paying around $80 million in compensation to schools in Wisconsin which can be spent on technology – and not just Microsoft products.

When Microsoft announced plans to inject $300 million into the Russian economy, cynics suggested it was an attempt to stave off the interest of competition officials. If that was the case, it appears to have failed.

The people in charge of the European Union really don’t like Microsoft. They tend to see it as an overly-dominant company which succeeds in maintaining its huge market share in many sectors by unfair means. Microsoft, rather unsurprisingly, disagrees. Cue a battle to the death, with Internet Explorer being the weapon of choice.

Microsoft will no longer be giving oral evidence in its appeal against the European Union’s charge of anti-competitive behavior in bundling Internet Explorer with Windows. The firm pulled out of a scheduled hearing claiming the absence of EU competition experts would make the event pointless.

To say software piracy and the use of counterfeit versions of Windows operating systems and products is rife in China is an understatement of colossal proportions. How can Microsoft tackle this problem, which is harming its business in the important emerging market of Asia? Blackmail.

Microsoft is claiming that threatened European Union sanctions over the bundling of Internet Explorer would themselves cause an unfair competitive advantage for Google. The comments follow the announcement that Microsoft will present its defense between June. 3 and 5

It’s a well-known fact that Microsoft has always bundled Internet Explorer with its operating systems. Will this practice end with Windows 7? Probably not. In fact, people who have downloaded the Windows 7 Release Candidate this week have reported even worse than that.

Windows 7 includes an add-on feature to run a virtual copy of XP to take care of application incompatibilities. But the feature is getting mixed feedback, most notably because it won’t work on all PCs.

Microsoft has officially challenged a European Union ruling that its bundling of Internet Explorer violates competition laws in the region. The case will now go to a formal hearing.

Microsoft has agreed to a Department of Justice request to extend government oversight of its activities for a second time. The firm will remain under supervision until May 12, 2011.

Many people, including the authorities in charge of overseeing these kinds of things, consider Microsoft to be a monopoly. But in Russia, it’s official: Microsoft IS a monopoly.

Microsoft’s lawyers are being kept busy at the moment. In the immediate aftermath of the Microsoft versus TomTom lawsuit and counter suit debacle (otherwise known as ‘Our lawyers are more expensive than yours’) comes another lawsuit. This time it has been served by BackWeb and concerns Windows Update.

The head of the firm which sparked a European Commission investigation into Microsoft’s promotion of Internet Explorer says plans to make it an optional feature in Windows 7 don’t go far enough. Opera’s Jon von Tetzchner maintains that Windows should treat all major browsers equally.

Microsoft is arguing against an attempt to reinstate class action status to the ongoing ‘Vista Capable’ case. If it fails in the bid, the potential price of losing the case would be many times higher.