The ISEQ index of Irish shares is down almost 99 points on opening and is currently trading at 6870.39 points.

Aer Lingus will today lodge its formal appeal with an EU court as part of the legal process towards removing Ryanair from its shareholder register.

A US official’s criticism of a European Union court ruling dismissing Microsoft’s monopoly abuse appeal was “totally unacceptable,” EU antitrust chief Neelie Kroes said today.

SOUTH African wine makers have been told they can use the name ‘Waterford’ despite it being a registered trademark of the Irish owned Waterford Wedgwood company.

Under threat of new multi-million pound fines, Microsoft today said it had signed up its first licensee for a programme EU regulators told it to set up three years ago to share code that helps servers work with the Windows operating platform.

The European Union today escalated its trans-Atlantic fight with Microsoft today, threatening new multi-million-euro fines against the software maker over claims it fails to offer rivals a fair deal on licenses for helping servers work with Windows.

US software giant Microsoft was threatened with new fines by the European Union today, after it was accused of failing to live up to legal promises.

THE European Court of First Instance has confirmed a multi-million euro fine for the main French beef federations representing farmers and slaughterers.

An EU court in Brussels today overturned the European Commission’s approval of a merger between the music units of media giants Sony and Bertelsmann AG that created the world’s second-largest record label.

A TOP EU court has thrown out an attempt by low-cost airline easyJet to derail the merger of Air France and Dutch peer KLM, upholding an earlier decision by the European Commission.

Microsoft Corp. said that the record antitrust fine levied against it in 2004 should be thrown out, or at least greatly reduced, because the punishment outweighed the infraction, the company’s lawyers said today.

Microsoft said the record antitrust fine levied against it in 2004 should be tossed out, or at least greatly reduced, because the punishment outweighed the infraction, the company’s lawyers said in Luxembourg today.

FRESH claims that Ryanair has received illegal state aid will be made before the European Court of Justice next week.

The European Union took new legal steps against Microsoft today to ensure better compliance with its 2004 antitrust ruling, threatening fines of up to €2m a day if the software giant does not meet its demands.

A GROUP of 24 Irish fishermen are taking the European Commission to court this week over the refusal by Brussels to grant increased tonnage to trawler owners who carried out safety improvements to their vessels.

Microsoft’s five year legal battle in Europe moved into a public courtroom for the first time today as the software giant tries to get the EU’s landmark anti-trust ruling against it lifted.

Greencore has failed in its legal bid to force the European Commission to pay €154,892 interest on a refunded fine.

Low fares airline EasyJet has launched a legal challenge against the merger between Air France and KLM.

Volkswagen AG's appeal against a €90m fine for its infringement of EU competition rules has been dismissed by the European Court of Justice.

ANY plans to privatise the VHI could be put on hold for several years after rival BUPA confirmed it is taking legal action to stop a Government measure to level the playing field in the health insurance market.

French far right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen had been banned from taking his seat in the European Parliament for a year following a court ruling last month.

THE Government has vowed to press ahead with its plans to ensure that all of Ireland’s competitive soccer internationals will remain available to free-to-air stations, despite the possibility of a legal challenge from Sky TV.

RTÉ’S monopoly over TV rights to the Olympic Games and World Cup soccer finals could be under threat following a landmark legal ruling by the European courts.