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Gates meets EC president, draws criticism

Not everyone is happy about Bill meeting the EC...
Written by Jane Wakefield, Contributor

Bill Gates' private audience with Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission Monday has drawn fire from Internet campaigners, Save the Web.

The pressure group is concerned the EC is increasingly putting the interests of big business ahead of the Internet community as a whole. Save the Web -- made up of Internet entrepreneurs -- has already criticised EC policy on regulating the Internet and recently accused the organisation of pandering to the record industry.

"Microsoft has never been in the vanguard of open standards and this has not helped the Internet revolution. Mr Gates cannot speak for the European Internet community," the organisation points out in a statement. "Save the Web urges Mr Prodi to pay at least as much attention to the European Internet community as to the American chairman of Microsoft," it continues.

Microsoft failed to respond by press time

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