BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Microsoft said it was posting on the Web confidential documents used in its defense as it fought the threat of European Commission antitrust fines reaching up to 2 million euros ($2.4 million) a day.

The U.S. software giant planned to post the documents at 1800 GMT on Thursday at www.microsoft.com/presspass/legalnews.mspx, including an exchange of letters between its chief executive, Steve Ballmer, and EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

"Transparency is vitally important in what can be a very opaque process in Brussels. We've decided to open this up so people can understand the issues," said Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's European associate general counsel.

The Commission says Microsoft failed to comply with remedies it imposed in 2004 for the company's violation of antitrust rules. Specifically, the Commission says Microsoft failed to produce required documentation in a form that worked.

"Microsoft has ... supplied this documentation in a usable form in accord with industry practice," the company said in the introduction to its documents.

Microsoft is opening defense documents it sent in response to a statement of objections from the Commission, minus business secrets, but has no plans to post the Commission's objections.

The Commission considers those objections confidential and had little to say.

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Edit:  Microsoft's official press release available here