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Microsoft Cancels EU Antitrust Hearing
bahstid writes "The NY Times reports that Microsoft and the European Commission have canceled the only hearing planned in an antitrust investigation into the company's tying of Internet Explorer into Windows because of a dispute over the attendance of European regulators serving as advisers. As a result, the commission will reach its decision and levy a fine based on written statements from Microsoft and its adversaries. Microsoft decided against the opportunity to give oral evidence in the case after it was unable to persuade the commission to move the meeting, scheduled for June 3rd through 5th, so that it did not conflict with a global antitrust conference in Zurich that draws European antitrust regulators."
When I was younger and lived on Nauru, we used to go climb the mountain. There is a big mountain on Nauru. Well, not so much a mountain as a crater. But the crater is filled with guano, so it's not truly either a crater or a mountain.
Anyway, we used to climb the mountain after school. Once I found a dead body in the brush. When I called my father over, he simply told me to go home. Later that evening, my father called the police and there was a big hullabaloo over the dead body. I remember eating dinner that night after the police had left and I asked my mom why she was crying. She told me that they would have to hold my father in detention until more evidence could be gathered.
My father died in that Nauruan jail cell.
The first is that Microsoft knows that it is so guilty that nothing they say or do at this point will make their penalty smaller.
The second is that Microsoft has simply given up any hope of getting a fair hearing because the EC has already made up its mind.
got this from one of the related links at the bottom of TFA:
According to the person, Microsoft will argue that Internet browsing is inseparable from the Windows operating system. Microsoft will also emphasize that consumers can download and use any competing browser with Windows, and that Internet Explorer's share of the browser market has been falling steadily.
so thats part of their argument? "You see, we're loosing, so that means it's ok for us to cheat!"
here is the article (May 8th)
sigs... don't talk to me about sigs....
If "sucked" killed companies, then windows 95, 98 and Vista would have killed MS dead. Netscape had the market volume and could easily have survived a few bad versions with their market share. However Microsoft made sure that didn't happen. The funny thing, however, is that we are even discussing this. There were clear US Antitrust decisions which say this much. If you read them it's clear that MS set out to kill competitors through illegal methods and did so and that that included Netscape. The lack of basic coverage of anthing critical in almost any media is the only possible way so many people could come to believe that Netscape died because they released bad software. Long term they might well have died; but it would be something other than (and better than) IE which would have replaced them.
=~ s,(.*),<sarcasm>$1</sarcasm>,g if any_point_you_wish();
They would want to do that, no doubt. And do you know what would happen then? EU would investigate it and sue. EU has lately been taking very strict line with companies that abuse their monopoly positions and even stricter with companies that try to wiggle away from their punishments. I have no reason to assume it would change.
OEMs in EU area will soon get a chance to choose what browser shall they distribute the computers with! Most will still distribute IE, no doubt. It is easiest for them and nobody chooses what computer to buy based on what browser it has. So little will really change on that area, I think. But at least the competition will be more fair.
I find it humorous how a company can claim that internet browser should be something that the OS takes care of while they recommend their users to buy antivirus software because keeping the computer safe doesn't belong to the OS.
Microsoft are spinning this. They say that nobody senior was available, that is nonsense. The EU were sending Neelie Kroes, who is European Commissioner for Competition and about as senior as could possibly be. Microsoft got scared and ran away doing damage limitation PR on the way out.