Microsoft Makes EU Dispute Docs Public

mjdroner writes "ZDNet is reporting that Microsoft has posted confidential documents used in its defense of European Commission antitrust practices related to server software. Explaining the posting of the documents, which the EC considers confidential, a Microsoft rep said, 'Transparency is vitally important in what can be a very opaque process in Brussels.'"

Comments

ask a billion people

[yagu]

If you can't get the opinion or results you want from the commission, throw it out to the public and see if you can generate a groundswell of support.

I think this is what Microsoft hopes to do. I doubt they'll succeed.

From The Fine Article (emphasis mine):

But a Commission monitoring trustee, one of several nominated by Microsoft, as well as competitors and a technical review committee gave Microsoft's documentation scathing reviews. The trustee called it "fundamentally flawed. "

The commission isn't buying Microsoft's protest, the "buying" public won't either.

What's interesting though is just in sheer numbers, Microsoft will find empathy, support, and voices to support their claim they're being treated unfairly.

Aim, Shoot Foot !!

[Akoma The Immortal]

Ho Boy, Ho Boy,

The battle is heating up. I can see now that the UE have the moral incensitive to switch their document to OpenDocument in the near future.

I Hope they do.

Hmmmm...

[Noryungi]

What I'd like to see is the European Commission slap a huge fine on Microsoft for publishing these documents, as well as drag a couple of European Microsoft Executives to courts for breach of confidentiality. Add a couple of cotempt of court proceedings against the lawyers who handled the documents, and we are all set for a big legal fight.

I am not joking: Europe has some fairly strict laws concerning the confidentiality of judicial proceedings. For instance, in France, journalists can be convicted for publishing documents related to an ongoing investigation, and I think it's the same in Germany and in the UK. (And before American citizens out there start screaming: "Freedom of Speech!", please remember that these rules have been edicted to protect the "innocence" of a person/company until proven guilty).

So, this little spat between Microsoft and the EU could become interesting quite quickly...

Clear

[umbrellasd]

a Microsoft rep said, 'Transparency is vitally important in what can be a very opaque process in Brussels.'

And I say, "Source code transparency of the OS is vitally important in any critical business process."

Hypocritical. Bastards.

Warm and fuzzies for Bill

[SgtChaireBourne]

Obtain a groundswell of support in EUROPE for a jumbo-sized AMERICAN company?

Hence, yet another ad campaign. This one, if you read past the misleading headlines, is meant to change MS' image away from being American, to being international or 'local'.

If the case were wrapped up right away, MS would really be in difficulty. However, MS has been able to drag it out several years already and even affect the selection of judges and the decision process. It took ten years for MS' investment in Craig Smith to pay off. Neli Kroes has yet to payoffm, but there's no hurry since MS benefits from each day of delay. There's no reason yet to believe that MS can't keep the EC hopping on the end of it's leash until either the clock runs out and there are no audio or video options except WMA and WMV, or the campaign kicks in. Before MS was a political movement and ideology, it was first a lobbying firm grown from a marketing firm, so there is probably time to run what is effectively a psyops campaign using the mainstream media.

You're also already seeing the shills piping up all over the place attacking MS' competitors, trying to start a myth by implication that MS has been competing on merit rather than mostly by illegal and anti-competitive means.