Microsoft said Monday it has agreed to cut the cost and ease some restrictions that it placed on competitors seeking to view the inner workings of the Windows program under last year's antitrust settlement with the government.

Following complaints from some rivals, Microsoft said it would make it cheaper and easier for other software companies to access key pieces of computer code that their server software needs in order to properly function with the Windows operating system.

The concession came after months of negotiations with attorneys for the Justice Department, who are charged with overseeing the landmark antitrust settlement.

"These changes are designed to make it easier for companies to license our technology. We are absolutely committed to full compliance with every aspect of our settlement and providing responsible leadership on behalf of our industry and consumers," said Brad Smith, Microsoft senior vice president for law and corporate affairs.

The two sides are still working on final details of the concessions, and neither side would disclose exact terms.

As part of the settlement, Microsoft agreed to license the key operating system rules under reasonable terms.

However, other software companies have since complained that the terms were anything but reasonable. They said Microsoft had made the license so expensive that it wasn't financially feasible, and that the software giant required them to sign overly burdensome non-disclosure agreements.

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