EU Fines Microsoft $613 Million, Officially

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.

Comments

Re:The Question is: How are they going to pay?

[CountBrass]

There is no question.

You get fined for speeding you don't get to choose to pay it using luncheon vouchers.

You pay cash and it goes to the EU's exchequer.

EU statement..

[volgers]

Read the EU press release from their own site (in your own language): http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p _action.gettxt=gt&doc=IP/04/382|0|RAPID&lg=EN&disp lay=

Re:I doubt it...

[EinarH]

Yeah, that is why they investigated and in some cases fined companies such as Hoffman La Roche, Audi, Marathon/Ruhrgas, Carslberg, the "REIMS II companies", BT, Telebel, Ewe Tel, Telefonica, UEFA, Telenor/Canal Digital, Phillips, Sony, One2One, BA/Iberia/GB, Air France and B2/Telia in 2003 and Telenor/Canal Digital, "REIMS II companies", Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile/Viag in 2004...