Microsoft has asked the European Commission for an extension to the deadline for it to comply with the anti-trust ruling reached in 2004. The EC originally gave Microsoft until Wednesday to improve access to its server software.

A spokesman for Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes told IDG: "Microsoft has requested an extension." The spokesman would not say how long the delay is for. Microsoft faces fines of $2m a day if it misses the deadline.

The EC will decide before Wednesday whether or not to grant the extension. But a Microsoft spokesperson told the New York Times that the software giant had been granted an extension until February 15.

More from IDG here.

In other legal/Microsoft news the US government has criticised the company for dragging its feet over complying with the anti-trust agreement reached in 2001.

Justice Department lawyers filed documents saying Microsoft has fallen "significantly behind" in providing technical information to enable competitors to make software which interacts with Microsoft applications. The government warned the company to: "dramatically increase the resources devoted to responding".

More details on the New York Times here.®

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