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EU Fines Microsoft $1.3 Billion
jd writes "The EU has slammed Microsoft with a fine of €899 million ($1.337 billion at current exchange rates) for perpetuating violations of the 2004 antitrust ruling.The fine is the sum of daily fines running from June 21, 2006 to October 21, 2007. It is the first company ever to be fined for non-compliance. The amazing thing is that the EU now expects Microsoft to comply and 'close a dark chapter' in their history. The EU has opened new investigations into Microsoft's practices and gave a lukewarm response to the company's turning over yet another new leaf last week."
Ha ha ha ha ! ... ;-). ... where the originators where greedily sitting on the gold mine, just to start
Good luck to them callecting the money from crosoft !
The case is not so one sided as it appears; apple Itunes anyone ?
No lost love between me and Microsoft, but the EU is a bit wrong.
Like someone noted, they complied, but priced the lesser software
the same; so who would want it ?
They'll eventually have to do some sweet heart negotiations with
Microsoft... Why should Microsoft make life easy for their competition ?
Does Toyota makes it easier to use GM parts in their cars ?
Does HP makes it easier to use canon injets cartidges ?
If crosoft is so bad, go with linux, osx, solaris, os2
Any attempt by them to shut down crosoft operations in the EU will
see the business owners and leaders screaming murder at the eu government.
Beside, Microsoft could easily escape by simply licensing the eu
manufacturing& distribution to an independent entity that has no direct link.
With so called capitalism and democracy; you can forced someone to follow the
spirit of the law. They should have been more careful in framing their demands,
especially when dealing with the devil
Beside microsoft is not forcing anyone to use media player.
If the competition wasn't so complacent, then microsoft wouldn't be so powerful.
Anyone remembers when Norton defrag used to cost 100 dollars and mediocre logitech
mouses used to cost and arm and a leg ? Well, I don't want to go back to those
old days. In one case, Microsoft came in and offered defrag for free and made
a killing selling "the microsoft mouse" I remember buying them for 85 retail and
35 OEM. I can list dozens of examples like Next Computers, Apple
complaining of unfair competition when a slightly inferior product from Microsoft
swept the market.
You're calling ME a troll? Did you even read what you wrote? You simply made a baseless accusation in the hopes of getting people pissed.
THATS WHAT YOU CALL A TROLL!
Modding Trolls +1 inciteful since 1999
"The EU is not an evil government"
No, thats why it finger prints children without permission, why it commits to propaganda in the classroom, and why it sanctions policies like arranging the imprisonment of Journalists (Hans Martin Tillack), has mass corruption, a secret executive that makes the US effort at balanced executive look brilliant, even though we know the US model has failings, only funds pro EU sides in supposed democracy, goes out of its way to wreck African farming, and operates a climate of fear in the one place where democratic elections lead to MEPs being representative.
If they dissent, they are threatened, fined, and dissent is not allowed to be shown via media services supposedly available to all.
That's before you talk of a Commission plan to control the press and only allow a select (their own selection) group of Journalists to provide press, rather than IFJ access normal anywhere else.
Slashdot is supposed to be filled with intelligent people. If Bush created a plan to control the press corps in the US via a groomed method you'd be up in arms. People need to wake up. What is happening in Europe today is a death of democracy never seen before in the history of man. 500 million people being moved from democracy, and representative parliaments to dictatorship.
We`re all equal
"Press corps?... you mean any of those corporations like Sony or Disney or News Corp that pretty much control what is seen or read in the US?"
Its amazing. 100% Guaranteed, if you point out something drastic happening in the EU, people start throwing you examples about how bad things are in the US. Only, I don't live in the US, and bad things happening in the US means bad things happening in the EU can be ignored - or better yet, we can just pretend its not real.
"Propaganda?, try watching the trailers for the US and international versions of the new "Indiana Jones" trailer."
Indiana Jones is a commercial film. On a serious note, did you ever in your life contemplate and examine EU propaganda?
EU to launch 7 million euro anniversary PR campaign and use Eurovision. The Austrian press has revealed that the EU has earmarked more than 7 million euros for an ambitious PR campaign which aims to try and win back the hearts of European citizens at its 50th anniversary next year. As part of this effort the EU has launched an online competition - 'design a birthday logo for the EU' - whose motto is "Happy birthday EU", which will become the official symbol of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The Commission is offering 12,000 euros worth of prizes, as well as an invitation to a prize ceremony, for the winning entries, which must "reflect the EU's achievements (such as peace and prosperity) and its future". On the website EU Communications Commissioner Margot Wallstrom says, "50 years of peaceful co-operation and growing prosperity and security in Europe is really something to celebrate. It is also an excellent occasion to discuss what we expect from the EU in the future, for our children and generations to come." Click here to see the website.
The Sunday Telegraph has seen a memo by Wallstrom showing that the Commission also wants to link the Eurovision song contest to the anniversary. Viewers would be told about "the need of close co-operation in our common project", "solidarity" and "the benefits that European integration has brought to its citizens". Some of the new member states are not keen. An unnamed Czech government source said, "For most of the new members, this plan brought back memories of Communist times." (Die Presse, Sunday Telegraph, 23 July)
EU propaganda makes Bush and US efforts cited by people like you look utterly pathetic. But its clearly working, you are not aware of their activities.
"And no, regardless of what you may have read chidren do not get finger printed without permission, and no before you even bring up the topic... Socialized Medicine is not a bad thing."
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/07/kiddyprinting_allowed/
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2006/jul/08fingerprinting-children.htm
http://www.eudemocrats.org/bg/23/article/21/
http://www.computing.co.uk/computeractive/news/2195260/becta-guidelines-fingerprinting
http://www.leavethemkidsalone.com/
Its not exactly secret, the funny part is your head is so far up your backside you think its not happening.
Tell me, do you think that the American bashers round these parts would take to the idea of America taking fingerprints of all children without permission of parents? Even then, that kind of Policy would be openly discussed in the US. In the EU it gets talked about in secret closed session and just implemented. The executive does not answer to the people.
As for Socialised Medicine, I live in the UK. I live in a socialised medical system, and I can tell you Michael Moore was talking such incredible disinformation about the UK NHS that its not even funny. But thats a side show when ta
We`re all equal