Microsoft To Appeal EU Decision

An anonymous reader writes "News.com has an article on Microsoft's upcoming appeal of the EU antitrust decision. Their argument is essentially that they shouldn't be penalized for becoming successful in a marketplace." From the article: "Microsoft relies on the fact that its communication protocols are technologically innovative and are covered by intellectual-property rights ... [the company] had designed its Windows server operating systems from the outset to interoperate with non-Microsoft server operating systems"

Comments

Msg to those in EU

[Anonymous Coward]

Write to your reps in the EU to encourage them to keep up the pressure. Don't let it drop like it did in the US. Those of us across the pond from you are still shocked that the case was won by the US DOJ after spending millions of $US then rendered ineffective by politics.

We need open standards. We need interoperability. However, closed standards, proprietary formats, and DRM all serve to preserve marketshare by those owning the technology and serve to lock out any competition. Bid on a project and you can propose vendor A version 2000 or vendor A version 2003 or vendora A version XP.... Now that is competition, right?

Someone get the EU to double or nothing

[jd]

If Microsoft can show anything that is both genuinely "innovative" (and using the BSD TCP/IP stack is not innovative) and compatible with non-Windows systems (excluding Samba, as that was reverse-engineered), I'd say the EU should be willing to listen and should perhaps reduce or suspend the fine. (So that regular Slashdottians don't suffer a heart attack, I don't consider this remotely likely.)

If Microsoft is appealing on flagarantly fraudulant grounds that lie somewhere between making false statements to a court of law, deceptive advertising, and wilful abuse of the appeals system, then the EU should seriously examine if the law would allow them to increase the fine. Doubling it would seem suitable.

This needs to be settled, once and for all, in a way that is fair but decisive.

Microsoft's EU Dilemma

[dueyfinster]

Microsoft uses Ireland as a base to filter billions of dollars every year (Through a wholly owned obscure subsidiary), through a solicitors office in Dublin. That office controls all license revenue from Asia, Europe and Africa. On average they contribute $50 per person per year to Irish economy, with our low corporation tax rates. The EU has FULL legislative power over this, what represents a huge chunk, if not more than 50% of MSFT's business, so unlike South Korea, Microsoft could not just leave (like they threatened to move to Canada), as most of their Intellectual Property rights are based here in Ireland. The E.U. probably holds the most power over Microsoft then any legislator in the world, its all whether they are bman enough to make Microsoft pay for their crimes.....

Succession of arguments:

[Mateo_LeFou]

Not sure if these are in strictly chronological order, but:

1. We shouldn't have to give out documentation because we're not a monopoly
2. We can't give out documentation.
3. We gave out source code; that's the same as documentation
4. We can't figure out what exactly it is you want us to give out.
5. We don't need to give out documentation; the stuff is already interoperable enough.
6. We shouldn't have to give out documentation 'cause that would mean giving away our intellectual property.

This would be hilarious if it weren't so damaging to the marketplace. Could someone point me to the part of the EU's decision where Microsoft is required to sign over its intellectual property to someone?