Microsoft prepares EU appeal

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Microsoft plans to file next week its formal appeal of a European Union ruling that the software giant violated antitrust law and should be fined and made to curtail its business practices.

Microsoft had vowed to appeal as soon as the decision was announced last March. In its decision, the EU fined Microsoft a record €497m and also ordered it to offer a version of Windows without a bundled media player. The EU also ordered the company to disclose more technical information to rivals.

"We intend to file our appeal sometime next week," Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler said on Wednesday.

Microsoft's appeal will be to the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg. The company has contended that the decision would harm its ability to innovate.

"We look forward to filing our appeal and believe we have a very strong case to present to the court," Desler said.

European regulators have said they believe that the ruling will hold up to any legal challenge.

"Of course, I'm confident we have produced a decision that will stand before any appeal," European Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said at a March press conference.

Microsoft is also expected to ask the Court of First Instance to delay any imposition of the remedies, but that request is not expected to be filed until later in June.

Talkback

I<rant>
t´s about time M$ Corp was dealt with in the propper manner they are worth god knows how many billions of dollars the fine should be the sum total of there worth less a small balance to continue trading with maybe then they will understand that dirty tricks underhand dealings ( money via the back door into SCO and friends) gets them no where and if it was not for the weak willed limp judges in the states who can be brought and almost ORDERED to give a judgement in favour of M$ Corp at the drop of a hat M$ Corp would be just another company instead of a large bolshi bullshit ridden scum infested un-trust worthy set of motor mouthed hooligans .

CRIPPLE the hell out of them and make them tow the line DO NOT listen to there whiterings and make them suffer like every one out there unfortunate to have to use there virus ridden worm laden unstable products
</rant>

pete .
not affraid of the us twats or voicing an opinion

via Facebook 3 June, 2004 10:58
Reply

What's the big deal?

A media player has been in *every Windows version since 3.1* and possibly earlier.

Has it stopped the growth of other media players, such as Winamp, Sonique, Real, and QuickTime?

No. Users who want or need those can (and will) go get them. Users who want the paid versions of such "alternatives" can (and will) go buy them. Users who DON'T want (or need) other players can (but won't) go get them, and users who don't KNOW about the other players will eventually find out about them.

Why is the EU so upset about WiMP? WiMP has in no way stifled competition in the way that Netscape tried to claim IE did.

via Facebook 4 June, 2004 19:32
Reply

It's not the end-users that set the market direction - it's the content producers. The player is free, but the encoding side is not.

If you own content you want to sell web access to, like Britney Spears concerts, or live baseball games, then you want to use a format that most people will be able to view.

If MS gives away WiMP for free with its OS, then no other media player supplier can really compete with the audience that MS offers, so it is MS, and not Real or Nullsoft/AOL that get the dollars of Vivendi Music or Major League Baseball.

via Facebook 8 June, 2004 15:14
Reply

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