EU May Fine Microsoft

Yokaze writes: "The Wall Street Journal reports about a leaked European Comission document, that suggests that the EU may fine MS for anti-competitive behaviour. The fine can be up to 10% of the annual revenue, or $2.5 billion and may include the demand to remove certain programs from Windows. The report harshly criticized MS way of taking influence in the case, even speaking of trying to mislead the observers. Regarding the report of the WSJ, European Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said, that the case is still at a preliminary stage, since MS still has the right to defend itself at a hearing. Or in his own words: 'To speak of a fine when Microsoft has not yet disputed the Commission's preliminary findings both in fact and law -- as it it's right -- is premature.' Since the original is for subscribers only, take a look at Yahoo or the more detailed report from BBC News. Lastly with some different details a report from Heise in German."

Comments

And yet you curse the DMCA?

[dave-fu]

We're quickly moving back to the old notion of city-states with their own conflicting sets of laws. It's looking harder and harder to do business on a global scale as you open yourself up to provincial, myopic laws of other lands (just ask Dmitry), which I guess is an interesting dichotomy from the WTO's vision of "one world, one corporation".
I'd be happy if Microsoft had the huevos to not even bother to dispute the charges and just pulled all of its software out of the EU, flipping them the bird and leaving them to scramble for dry ground. It'd be a trial by fire for free software supporters, and I'd be very interested to see how it turns out.

If I were Microsoft

[banuaba]

I think I would just tell the EU "If you fellas don't like the way we do business, we can go back to Seattle."

It just gives me this wonderful mental image of some european guy, sitting at a table with a little tiny cup of coffee, chainsmoking Gauliouses and screaming at a laptop: "Kerneel paneek!? Whut ze sheet is thees? Ahye gheef you segfawlt wheen you geet thees boot out of your hart drife"

Of course, I have an overactive imagination and a twisted view of what Europeans look and act like. But it'd still be funny

Cajones

[GearheadX]

It's good to see that *someone* out there has the nerve to stand up to The Black Goat of the Woods With a Thousand Young of the software industry. Amazing how much of a difference politicians not owing their positions to these guys makes, isn't it?

EU is Anti-American

[WildBeast]

I've been to Europe a few times and their's plenty of Anti-American sentiment in their. They're extremely Jealous of the U.S..

If I was MS, I would stop publishing Windows in Europe, besides who'll buy Windows without the bundled software? Europeans will be forced to switch to Linux, the best European OS. Their's no way a European OS will get sued.

I've got only one thing to say to the EU. Take your Window CD's, shine them up real good and stick them up your candy asses.