Microsoft, which received a two-week extension to reply to the European Commission's latest statement of objections that it abused dominance in the Windows operating system, said yesterday that it had sought more time to respond.

The Commission's rules permit two months for a reply to a statement of objections. Microsoft's reply was due early this month but, following the extension, it is due later this month.

A spokesman said the firm had asked for more time.

"We had 10 weeks to respond to a statement of objections which took 20 months to put together, but we will continue to work hard to meet our deadline and come to a constructive conclusion," Microsoft's spokesman said.

The Commission issued the third and latest statement of objections in August, laying out its concerns in more detail but adding no new allegations.

The latest statement also proposed possible remedies to charges that Microsoft abused the dominance of its Windows operating system. The Commission said that Microsoft designed its low-end server software, which manages everything from websites to email systems, to work better with Windows than with rival operating systems.Microsoft is to comment on proposed remedies in its response.

The Commission has said that Microsoft should share some of its Windows' interface protocols to address the server problem. That could make it easier for software developers using rival systems to create server software that works better with Windows.

The Commission also proposed requiring Microsoft to unbundle its Media Player. - (Reuters)