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EU Regulators Open New Microsoft Investigations

Posted by Zonk on from the same-thing-over-and-over dept.

The New York Times is reporting on two new investigations into Microsoft business practices opened by EU antitrust regulators. The new cases center on the company's positioning of Office and Internet Explorer, and were apparently partially prompted by Microsoft's earlier heel-dragging. "'It would have been preferable if these issues could have been resolved amicably with Microsoft,' said Jonathan Todd, a spokesman for the European competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes. 'But that has not proved to be the case. Therefore we have opened these formal investigations. That does not prove there is a violation. We will only be able to come to a conclusion after investigations.' The legal battle that ended last year involved the bundling of a media player with Windows and the availability of information required to make rival software operate smoothly with Microsoft products. In September, the Court of First Instance, Europe's highest after the European Court of Justice, endorsed the commission's 2004 decision to impose record fines on Microsoft."

3 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. No, Don't Start Anything You Can't Finish by curmudgeon99 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Microsoft's problem is that they thought they were beyond reach. They behaved as bastards--thinking they could not be touched. So, Microsoft started this and the EU is pissed and is going to finish it.

  2. Re:MS pulls out of EU by Daimanta · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't think you understand how huge the EU market is. If MS doesn't release any software into the EU you can expect a BIG shareprice drop.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  3. Re:MS pulls out of EU by Mantaar · · Score: 5, Informative

    Orly?

    Are you just joking, or a complete nutjob? I assume it's the former, just for the sake of sanity.

    Inhabitants of the EU: 494.8, Millions, that is. Way more than Kentucky. Way more than the US, actually. Over half of the households in Europe are actually using computers. That's one hell of a market, if you ask me. MS can't, just can't afford to lose that market. And it's not only about the numbers - the European market is very innovative, many software companies are producing - well... software. Imagine if their environment wouldn't mostly use Windows as its main OS?

    References:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_statistics
    http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90781/90877/6314195.html

    --
    I'm an infovore...