Business Briefs

Oblix, of Cupertino, Calif., helps manage the way users log on to multiple corporate applications and ensure they can only tap into certain files.

The company was founded in 1999. Its customers include American Airlines and Ingersoll-Rand.

Oracle, based in Redwood City, Calif., said it will add Oblix's technology into its existing offerings and will continue to sell Oblix's products on a stand-alone basis.

Shares of Oracle closed Monday at $12.43, up 7 cents, or 0.6 percent, on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Microsoft renames Windows product for EU

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Microsoft Corp. said Monday it would use an "N" to designate Windows XP versions stripped of the company's media player to comply with an antitrust judgment from the European Union.

The agreement with the EU came after antitrust regulators rejected Microsoft's first choice, "Windows XP Reduced Media Edition," on grounds it would discourage sales and mislead customers.

The player-free operating system will simply go by "Windows XP Home Edition N" and "Windows XP Professional Edition N" - the "N" standing for "not with media player."

A year ago, EU regulators ordered Microsoft to produce for European consumers a version of Windows without media player software for viewing video and listening to audio. Regulators had ruled that Microsoft abusively wielded its monopoly to lock out competitors. Microsoft also was fined a record $665 million and ordered to share some software blueprints. The Redmond, Wash.-based company is appealing.