Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Fined €561 Million For Non-compliance With EU Browser Settlement
Seeteufel writes "Microsoft's failure to comply with an antitrust settlement about browser choice has severe consequences. The European Commissioner for Competition Almunia set a fine of €561 million (~$732 million) for the unprecedented break of agreement. Microsoft admitted its mistakes and offered further concessions."
A pretty costly bug it seems. From the EC press release: "This is the first time that the Commission has had to fine a company for non-compliance with a commitments decision. In the calculation of the fine the Commission took into account the gravity and duration of the infringement, the need to ensure a deterrent effect of the fine and, as a mitigating circumstance, the fact that Microsoft has cooperated with the Commission and provided information which helped the Commission to investigate the matter efficiently."
If this had been a small company the EU would have had no problem fining them 10% of revenue which is allowed for an act like this. Just because Microsoft has the lawyers to 'cooperate with the Commission' shouldn't allow them off with such a small fine.
=~ s,(.*),<sarcasm>$1</sarcasm>,g if any_point_you_wish();
Bundling their own browser with their own OS is not even remotely the issue.
Microsoft was convicted of actively trying to push other browsers from the market, to wipe them out. Part of their punishment, to make up for that transgression, is that they are required to offer a choice of browsers. They agreed to do so, in lieu of a more severe punishment.
They broke their promise to do that, so now the more severe punishment is being restored.
I could understand that an oversight might result in the browser choice being unavailable. I do find it a little hard to believe that, given the magnitude of the charges they were facing, someone was not assigned to double-check that the browser choice was still in there.