European Union antitrust officials today hit Microsoft with a $732 million fine for failing to live up to a 2009 settlement that requires it to offer Windows users a choice of alternate browsers. From Computerworld:

The announcement made by Joaquin Almunia, the European Commission's top antitrust regulator, had been expected after the New York Times reported Tuesday that a "large fine" was imminent in the eight-month-old case.

It was the first time that Europe's regulators had punished a company for shirking an antitrust agreement, something Almunia noted last year and again today.

 EU fines Microsoft $732M over browser ballot debacle