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Microsoft Finally Bows to EU Antitrust Measures

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the thats-a-lot-of-cash dept.

Rogue Pat writes "Microsoft ended three years of resistance on Monday and finally agreed to comply with a landmark 2004 antitrust decision by the European Commission. Competitors will be able to buy interface protocols for 10.000 Euro to make their software work better with Windows. Moreover, Microsoft won't appeal the 500 million Euro fine any further."

3 of 365 comments (clear)

  1. any takers by shortscruffydave · · Score: 5, Interesting

    <NotFlameBait>

    The courts have made Microsoft make those protocols available. It will be interesting to see how many people actually pony up to buy those protocol specs - in part, that would be a measure of how valid the EU's judgement was.

    </NotFlameBait>

  2. 2 questions by jonwil · · Score: 5, Interesting

    1.What exactly does this cover? Which network protocols? Which data formats?
    and 2.Does the license exclude OSS/GPL or have Microsoft finally been forced into allowing GPL software to use its "secret sauce"?

  3. Only one taker by flyingfsck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Samba project will likely buy a copy. Everyone else will simply use Samba then as before. I don't think MS will recover their fine from selling that specification.

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!