may the force be with you

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Microsoft Corp. said it expected Adobe Systems Inc. to file an antitrust suit in Europe after talks to use Adobe's technology broke down this week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The two companies have been in discussions over the use of Adobe's Portable Document Format, or PDF, within Microsoft's Office suite of applications, the Journal reported, quoting Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith.

Adobe wants Microsoft to remove the feature and offer Adobe's technology separately for a fee. Microsoft has agreed to remove the feature, but is unwilling to charge for it, the Journal reported.

Representatives of Microsoft and Adobe were not immediately reachable for comment.

In February, Adobe Chief Executive Bruce Chizen told Reuters he considered Microsoft to be the company's biggest concern. "The competitor I worry about most is Microsoft," Chizen said at the time.

Adobe's PDF technology lets producers create and distribute documents digitally that retain designs, pictures and formatting.

source:http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1970866,00.asp