Posted by
ryuzaki0
on from the does-this-thing-ever-end dept.
T-Kir writes "The BBC has an interesting article saying that now Microsoft has had the settlement granted in the US, it still faces EU sanctions concerning software bundling (or should that be bungling?) into its OS and deliberate attempts at inoperability with non-MS server operating systems."
Three problems
by
MosesJones
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
1) US courts regularly deny the authority of courts abroad
2) US courts regularly assume their rules apply abroad.
3) When the EU has ruled against US product before (growth hormone is not allowed in beef sold in the EU) the US claims it is a restraint of trade and raises it to the EU.
So what will probably happen is MS will rightly be found guilty, they will ignore the remedy, and when it is enforced they will bleat to the president who will "defend US interests", he will ignore the rights of foreign courts and claim this is purely anti-competative and anti-US rather than being a different resolution applied to EXACTLY the same finding of guilt found in the US.
Personally I hope the EU stands up and gives them a bloody nose, and makes its move over to Open Source even quicker.
-- An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
Re:Three problems
by
albanac
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
All of your points are accurate. WRT the first two, however, there is no way the US could (under legal arenas) challenge an EU court ruling, and I don't think they'd be stupid enough to try. The one piece of information you didn't catch is that some four months ago, when the EU declared it's intention to pursue MS independently of the US DOJ, the State Deparmemnt immediately issued sabre-rattlings to the effect that if the EU attempted to do anything different or more realistic than the DOJ had done, the US would embark on an immediate and GDP-wide trade-war against the entire EU, covering everything from steel to immigration visas, until the EU backed off. The EUs response was to ignore them.
~cHris
Re:Does the EU have power?
by
Shimbo
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Could someone explain what the EU has power to do? Seems to me like they couldn't do much...
They can't stop MS..
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
..besides, business is not where to try to hit them.
You see, the world's offices run on Office. Deny them that, and they get cranky. They start making campaign contributions, and suddenly, laws everywhere become the plaything of Microsoft.
Even if it'd cost more to buy some politicians than to switch to Open Office or something else, businesses won't stand for it. Why? Because - business despises the idea of governments telling them what they can and can't do. Businesses like *telling* governments what they can and can't do.
What would be great is if the EU frees European OEMs from the threats of Microsoft. Now, that would cause slight pain.
You see, consumers dislike the idea of paying for things they believe they do not need. How many of you here know people who still run Win 98? I can't count the people I know who are still running it. Each one of those is money that's not being sent to One Microsoft Way.
Will people, given the choice, stop buying upgrades with each computer? Yes, they will. Installing an operating system is *NOT* rocket science, and almost everyone has a kid down the street who will do it for $10.
$10, versus the Microsoft Tax. Sounds like a sweet deal, eh?
Re:Basically, the EU is mean to american companies
by
ninthwave
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I lived in the US for the first 28 years of my life. For the last two years have lived in Europe and your comment about the EU decisions makers not being knowledgable in the computer technical issues as the american judges is just complete bullshite.
The GM food issue isn't just a government issue it is a populace issue. If the government accepts gm food here they will have voters voting them out. The people don't want GM food at this point in time, the governments generally want the GM food business but they don't have the popular support to do it. So the ban on GM food isn't a trade issue as it is a consumer issue. Consumers won't buy food.
The banan fiasco was that, but the US has some silly trade mark games not
Like with cars, they could enforce that every computer program sold must comply with certain requirements. For instance, it would be really cool if every computer program sold in the EU must come with a manual that describes every file format it uses in detail so the data generated with that program can in principle be read and used by other programs with no big problems.
--
--
Cheers!
The parable of the selfish pricks
by
Anarchofascist
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Keep in mind that there are over 60 thousand employees at Microsoft. All of us have families and mortgages to pay just like you...
Reminds me of a story...
One upon a time there was a dangerous slippery cliff at the end of a road before a little village.
Every so often travellers along the road would slip, slip, slip over the cliff edge and fall to their deaths; and be collected by the village funeral director. Or they would slip, slip, slip over the edge and be badly injured; and the village doctors and nurses would tend to their wounds.
Eventually the mayor of the town announced a fence should be built at the top of the cliff, warning people of the danger.
"No!" cried the doctors and nurses. "We have families and mortgages to pay with the money we get for treating the injured!"
"No!" cried the funeral directors and morgue attendants. "We need the money from the funerals to support our families and mortgages too!"
The mayor was saddened by this reaction, but decided upon a compromise. The fence would not be built, but a sign would be erected saying "please support the local economy - jump off the cliff!"
The sign was erected, and is still there this very day.
-- Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, Or close the wall up with our American dead!
Slashdot Mirror
1) US courts regularly deny the authority of courts abroad
2) US courts regularly assume their rules apply abroad.
3) When the EU has ruled against US product before (growth hormone is not allowed in beef sold in the EU) the US claims it is a restraint of trade and raises it to the EU.
So what will probably happen is MS will rightly be found guilty, they will ignore the remedy, and when it is enforced they will bleat to the president who will "defend US interests", he will ignore the rights of foreign courts and claim this is purely anti-competative and anti-US rather than being a different resolution applied to EXACTLY the same finding of guilt found in the US.
Personally I hope the EU stands up and gives them a bloody nose, and makes its move over to Open Source even quicker.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
Could someone explain what the EU has power to do?
Seems to me like they couldn't do much...
Microsoft could be in line for fines totalling up to $2.5bn (£1.75bn) levied by the European Commission.
Nuff said.
..besides, business is not where to try to hit them.
You see, the world's offices run on Office. Deny them that, and they get cranky. They start making campaign contributions, and suddenly, laws everywhere become the plaything of Microsoft.
Even if it'd cost more to buy some politicians than to switch to Open Office or something else, businesses won't stand for it. Why? Because - business despises the idea of governments telling them what they can and can't do. Businesses like *telling* governments what they can and can't do.
What would be great is if the EU frees European OEMs from the threats of Microsoft. Now, that would cause slight pain.
You see, consumers dislike the idea of paying for things they believe they do not need. How many of you here know people who still run Win 98? I can't count the people I know who are still running it. Each one of those is money that's not being sent to One Microsoft Way.
Will people, given the choice, stop buying upgrades with each computer? Yes, they will. Installing an operating system is *NOT* rocket science, and almost everyone has a kid down the street who will do it for $10.
$10, versus the Microsoft Tax. Sounds like a sweet deal, eh?
I lived in the US for the first 28 years of my life. For the last two years have lived in Europe and your comment about the EU decisions makers not being knowledgable in the computer technical issues as the american judges is just complete bullshite.
The GM food issue isn't just a government issue it is a populace issue. If the government accepts gm food here they will have voters voting them out. The people don't want GM food at this point in time, the governments generally want the GM food business but they don't have the popular support to do it. So the ban on GM food isn't a trade issue as it is a consumer issue. Consumers won't buy food.
The banan fiasco was that, but the US has some silly trade mark games not
Check out this
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said: "I drank what?" - Chris Knight (Val Kilmer)- Real Genius
Like with cars, they could enforce that every computer program sold must comply with certain requirements. For instance, it would be really cool if every computer program sold in the EU must come with a manual that describes every file format it uses in detail so the data generated with that program can in principle be read and used by other programs with no big problems.
-- Cheers!
Keep in mind that there are over 60 thousand employees at Microsoft. All of us have families and mortgages to pay just like you...
Reminds me of a story...
One upon a time there was a dangerous slippery cliff at the end of a road before a little village.
Every so often travellers along the road would slip, slip, slip over the cliff edge and fall to their deaths; and be collected by the village funeral director. Or they would slip, slip, slip over the edge and be badly injured; and the village doctors and nurses would tend to their wounds.
Eventually the mayor of the town announced a fence should be built at the top of the cliff, warning people of the danger.
"No!" cried the doctors and nurses. "We have families and mortgages to pay with the money we get for treating the injured!"
"No!" cried the funeral directors and morgue attendants. "We need the money from the funerals to support our families and mortgages too!"
The mayor was saddened by this reaction, but decided upon a compromise. The fence would not be built, but a sign would be erected saying "please support the local economy - jump off the cliff!"
The sign was erected, and is still there this very day.
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, Or close the wall up with our American dead!