Paul Meller

The European Parliament adopted a draft law Thursday, designed to introduce a .eu top-level domain for the European Union.

The European Commission Wednesday unveiled a controversial proposal for a harmonized law on software patents that is less encompassing than laws in the U.S. and Japan.

European finance ministers agreed Tuesday on a regime for collecting value-added tax (VAT) on online sales of digital products such as computer software, and services such as internet pay-TV to end consumers.

The European Commission will drop its antitrust probe of Intel Corp., after concluding that complaints it received toward the end of 2000 from two rivals proved groundless, said a source close to the inquiry Friday.

U.S.-based Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. are believed not to have offered to sell any of their activities in Europe in order to secure a fast approval of their multibillion dollar merger deal by the European Commission, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

The European Parliament voted Wednesday to accept a compromise deal on a legislative package designed to modernize and simplify the legal framework for electronic communications in the European Union (EU).

The European Commission expects to conclude its antitrust investigation into Microsoft Corp. next year, a spokeswoman said Wednesday, but she declined to comment on whether the company's rejection of an oral hearing might speed the process up.

A new study into Internet access in Europe predicts that ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) and cable will become the leading broadband technologies as high-speed Internet connections become the norm, the European Commission said Tuesday.