Microsoft to EU: Antitrust this! Will remove IE from Win 7 in Europe

News.com reported Wednesday that Microsoft plans to strip Internet Explorer from sales of Windows 7 in Europe. Redmond plans to basically draw an artificial line in the sand and say, "Ooops, no IE in this Windows! But, uh, if OEMs just happen want to install a browser with the operating system, we do have one available."

"To ensure that Microsoft is in compliance with European law, Microsoft will be releasing a separate version of Windows 7 for distribution in Europe that will not include Windows Internet Explorer," the software maker said in the memo. "Microsoft will offer IE8 separately and free of charge and will make it easy and convenient for PC manufacturers to preinstall IE 8 on Windows 7 machines in Europe if they so choose. PC manufacturers may choose to install an alternative browser instead of IE 8, and has always been the case, they may install multiple browsers if they wish."

That's not exactly what the EU or Norway's Opera had in mind. Hakon Wium Lie said the EU's idea of requiring Win 7 to come with multiple browsers would "give users a genuine choice."

On a blog post called Working to Fulfill Our Legal Obligations in Europe for Windows 7, Microsoft explains why this is a bad idea.

They would have a significant impact on computer manufacturers and Web browser vendors, whose interests may differ. Given the complexity and competing interests, we don’t believe it would be best for us to adopt such an approach unilaterally.