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EU Fines Microsoft $613 Million, Officially

Posted by timothy on from the golden-goose-time dept.

Decaffeinated Jedi writes "As reported by CNN.com, the European Union has hit Microsoft with a record US$613 million fine after a five-year investigation, finding the company guilty of abusing the 'near-monopoly' of the Windows operating system. Microsoft has been given 90 days to make a European version of Windows available without a media player and 120 days to give programming codes to rivals in the server market to allow 'full interoperability' with desktops running Windows. Microsoft plans to appeal the decision." Other readers point to coverage at the BBC, ZDNet, Reuters (here carried by Yahoo!), and abc.au.net.

9 of 1,186 comments (clear)

  1. poor poor SCO lawyers by randalx · · Score: 5, Funny

    poor SCO lawyers might have to take a pay cut now. :(

  2. Troll -1 :) by joonasl · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Steve Balmer commented, that the fine imposed by the EU is completely unreasonble, considering that you can buy a president in the US with much less.".

    --
    "There is a terrorist behind every bush"
    1. Re:Troll -1 :) by isorox · · Score: 3, Funny

      Of course from May you have to buy 25 EU member presidents

  3. Re:Unbelievable by Decaff · · Score: 3, Funny

    Let's hope that the APIs that are published reveal as much embarrassing nerdy amateurism in MS as the release of undocumented APIs in previous versions of Windows. Who can forget the function names BEAR35, BUNNY73, PIGLET12 and the classic PRESTOCHANGOSELECTOR?

  4. Well, kinda by c4miles · · Score: 5, Funny

    A friend of mine (in the UK) got a speeding fine. He found an old local by-law that said he could pay the fine in live chickens, to the equivalent value.

    Hilarity ensued, of course.

    1. Re:Well, kinda by saigon_from_europe · · Score: 4, Funny

      Wow! How many chickens you may buy for 500M USD? Where will EU put all those chickens?

      Would that require MS to buy all chicken farms in USA/EU, making thus a new monopolly?

      --
      No sig today.
  5. Re:I hope.... by Tedium+Unleased · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you check the transcripts of the court proceedings, you were cited 213 times, 215 if you count references to "Worlds Most Installingest QuickTime Proponent". Your efforts are not in vain my friend, not in vain at all.

  6. Re:I hope.... by TGK · · Score: 4, Funny

    There are, admittedly, some crazy people out there who think that all the wrongs in the world are the fault of Mr. Bush.

    The more rational elements of the left repudiate these people, and appologise for their claims. All the wrongs in the world are not, in fact, the fault of President Bush.

    But the overwhelming majority are :)

    --
    Killfile(TGK)
    No trees were killed in the creation of this post. However, many electrons were inconvenienced.
  7. Re:Before you start bashing EU as anti-American by johannesg · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yes, but we have it surrounded!