But even if the EU is successful in setting a legal precedent, will it have any practical effect in the market? The requirement that Microsoft open access to its interoperability code will apply only to Windows 2000, not to the more recent Windows XP, which is being dealt with in a separate case. As for media players, even if Microsoft does offer cheaper, stripped-down versions of Windows, will PC-makers want them? Even a discount of, say, $10\ufffda substantial cut in Microsoft\ufffds average package price of around $50\ufffdwould barely make a dent in the $1,000 cost of the average PC. And European consumers might feel that they are being offered a second-class product. When offered a choice between Windows with and without Internet Explorer after the American settlement, few PC-makers went without.

Most important of all is what the ruling will mean for Microsoft's plans to conquer yet more markets. The company is believed to be integrating an internet search facility like Google (which Bill Gates greatly admires) into its new version of Windows, codenamed Longhorn. The European Commission has not specifically banned any further bundling\ufffdit says this will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Perhaps this week's ruling will prove strong enough to stop Microsoft from tying its products to Windows in order to storm new markets. But if the past is a guide, that seems unlikely. And with the appeal process set to last for years, it is hard to see Microsoft being swayed from its usual strategy: bundle now, litigate later.