EC: Microsoft likely to face big fines

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NEWS

Europe's competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes, has warned that Microsoft is talking itself into a large fine.

Kroes was unhappy that Microsoft has accused the European Commission of colluding with its rivals, during the on-running antitrust trial.

"If we pursue the line we are following now, there will be fines and they won't be small fines," said Kroes on Thursday, according to the Financial Times.

On Thursday, Microsoft said the EC had held back documents that the software giant needs in order to defend itself against a possible antitrust fine of up to €2m (£1m) a day.

Microsoft also said that the EC had encouraged other companies to have "extensive, unsupervised and undocumented contact" with the Dr Neil Barratt. Barratt is a UK computer expert who was appointed as a trustee to monitor Microsoft's compliance with the EC antitrust ruling of 2004.

"The Commission also took it upon itself to facilitate secret meetings between the Trustee and another of Microsoft’s adversaries... The purpose of the meetings was to allow [the adversary's] engineers to work together with the Trustee on identifying "any continuing gaps, which would allow the Trustee to demand supplementary information from Microsoft," claimed Microsoft.

Microsoft published its latest claims on its Web site.

Talkback

The European Union needs to be shut down. It has been an obstacle to progress for long enough. We need full unfettered access to technical products from the Far East and USA, and this includes everything that Microsoft can give us.
Neelie Kroes should quit his job and take up bee-keeping or something. The sooner he goes, the better.
In the mean time my sincere apologies to Microsoft for the behaviour of the EU.

via Facebook 3 March, 2006 19:58
Reply

Frank: How much did MS pay you to write that ;-)? Or was that just unfettered sarcasm?

via Facebook 3 March, 2006 23:47
Reply

Frank: Neelie happens to be a Dutchwoman. So she's not a 'he'. Goes to show how deeply you embedded yourself in knowledge around this case.

Incidentally, a number of governments have taken up arms against Backdoor Bill as Microsoft software is the ultimate enabler for Echelon (yes, read up on that, too).

If you don't believe me, use Ethereal to sniff the connection between your Windows machine. Bill has vayz and meanz of makking your PC tok.

via Facebook 4 March, 2006 13:47
Reply

Man, woman, reds under the bed or what, my point remains - the E.U. is a technical non-starter and an expensive pain in the neck. 'Officials' should be allowed to decide nothing more important than whether or not a banana is straight enough for their liking.

via Facebook 4 March, 2006 21:41
Reply

Apparently Frank is talking out of the wrong end of his body. Europe is leading the U.S. and Asia in new technologies. M$ is trying to suffocate its rivals, so if anything needs to be shutdown, it is M$. M$ has always wanted to be the only game in town and will stop at nothing to achieve that goal.

via Facebook 6 March, 2006 13:16
Reply

I have read comments and they all agree the
EU is biased and I have said it in the past from the beginning of the MICROSOFT trial.
All the judges were in agreement: Dismantle
MICROSOFT. What makes MICROSOFT so
hateble is his understanding and hability to
put connection with Internet.

via Facebook 6 March, 2006 15:42
Reply

Thanks Pierre for that um... insight. Frank stop pretending to be European and close the hatch of your chicken coop in Kansas.

As a European citizen, I'm proud of the work the EC is doing. Its not just about a chance to allow secure operating systems to develop but also the principle of stopping a global monopoly. If left unchecked Microsoft would have the ability to control the planet directly. Every keypress, every credit card number you enter, every love letter you send.

There is a disturbing element developing in the US which wants to see this sort of unfettered patriot act style control in the EC as well.

The question is will George W be stupid enough to get involved in this?

via Facebook 7 March, 2006 08:31
Reply

I believe the funny point to make is that all of you are probably on Windows machines typing all of this, yet you bash the company that creates this. If you have such a problem with the way this is woking or how M$ conducts itself, then stop using their products. And on the comment on George W Bush, I believe its funny that your talking about computers and then poke fun at our president, he has nothing to do with it.

via Facebook 7 March, 2006 14:36
Reply

I must confess, Rametav, that I was quietly chuckling about that very point.

I'm not in the business of trading insults with other posters so I won't respond to the comments, however I will make a general point. Posters on here would seem to be very pleased with the performance of the EU. It is for this very reason, Euro-complacency, that the union will eventually fail, regardless of who they try to 'fine'. (Silly woman !).

I can't quite equate the suggestion that the EU is now 'ahead' of the USA/Asia with the position in the UK where most of the manufacturing base (shipping, cotton, cars, electronics etc) has (mysteriously?) migrated to foreign parts.

But I'm straying from the point. I , and 98% of the rest of the world, support Microsoft. I will support the EU if and when they stop being destructive, get a firmer grip on reality and stop behaving like spoiled brats. Until then I have absolutely no time for the Union or those who run it.

I appreciate and respect that not everyone feels as I do, but that's folk!, we're all different.

via Facebook 7 March, 2006 22:06
Reply

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