EC ends full-time antitrust monitoring of Microsoft
Summary
Topics
In 2005, the Commission appointed an independent trustee to assess whether Microsoft was supplying interoperability information for Windows with workgroup servers to software rivals. The Commission told ZDNet UK on Wednesday that it will no longer require a full-time monitor, and that it will use "ad hoc assistance" to provide it with advice on any issues arising from the ruling.
"We don't think it's necessary to have a full-time trustee any more, as there have been changes in Microsoft's behaviour, and third parties can exercise their rights before national courts," said Commission antitrust spokesman Jonathon Todd.
While the trustee has been removed, Microsoft still has an obligation to supply complete and accurate interoperability information, the Commission said in a statement. However, the agency said it is satisfied that the original set of interoperability information has been documented by Microsoft, and that Microsoft's licence agreements for third parties are sufficient to allow those parties to make cases in national courts, should any disagreements arise.
Microsoft was required to supply interoperability information to competitors following a 2004 ruling by then-competition commissioner Mario Monti. In addition to the workgroup server software interoperability issue addressed by the monitoring, the antitrust decision covered anticompetitive concerns to do with Microsoft's bundling of Windows Media Player with Windows. In its decision, the Commission not only required that the interoperability information be made public, but also called for the unbundling of Windows Media Player and fined Microsoft $613 million.
In 2008, the Commission fined Microsoft again, levying a $1.4 billion fine for failure to comply with the 2004 decision. Todd said that Microsoft has paid the fine, but that the money is currently being held in an account, gathering interest, pending the outcome of an appeal against the fine by Microsoft.
Other Commission antitrust investigations relating to Microsoft, including one into web-browser market dominance, are still being conducted.
This article was originally posted on ZDNet.co.uk.
Talkback Most Recent of 14 Talkback(s)
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EC ends full-time antitrust monitoring of Microsoft
Its about time! There never should have been a trustee in the first place as Microsoft did nothing wrong. All this did was waste everyone's time. I hope the EC learned a valuable lesson from this and that is you don't mess with Microsoft.
Loverock Davidson4th Mar 2009 -
Nah - you're no Mike Cox
Mike is funny. You're not.
nizuse4th Mar 2009 -
You tell 'em Star (Trek|Wars) boy!
I think the EU learned that they had to keep fining them to the tune of 497 million EUR (794 million USD) in 2003, then an additional 280.5 million EUR (448.58 million USD) in 2006 and finally 899 million EUR ($1.44 billion USD) in 2008. What exactly is the valuable lesson when you have to fine a company 1.6765 billion EUR (over 2.722 billion USD)?
B.O.F.H.4th Mar 2009 -
Not only that, but the EU should have been...
...sending Microsoft lots of money just for the privilege of being considered as potential clients. I mean, Microsoft doesn't need the EU do they? They can very easily continue to cure cancer and prevent world hunger without the EU fining them for trivialities that no self respecting dictator would have balked at...
; Rem: Next line turns sarcasm off
914four5th Mar 2009 -
One word:
Troll
Grayson Peddie5th Mar 2009 -
ROFL
So having to pay for a Windows licence on a machine I had no intention of running Windows on wasn't abuse of a monopoly position?
The subsequent fines were made at Microsoft's request - aka they thought the EU would roll over and let its tummy be tickled like the US did, so they were surprised when they actually had to pay and had to pay additional fines for non-compliance with the court decisions within the allowed number of years.
The original case was needed, although the Media Player and Internet Explorer sides of it are a bit bogus and detract from what the main goals were, as they are the two pieces of the action (and ongoing complaints from Opera) that Otto Normalverbrauche (Joe Bloggs, Joe the Plumber) can understand - get into the intricacies of MS's legal and advertising departments misdeeds in the 80s and 90s and they either stare blankly or change the channel, WMP and IE is something they can understand, leads to sensational headlines and better hit rates, but hides what the real goals were...
It is time the commission was disbanded, they have done their work and MS complied, eventually.
The Opera red-herring is a few years too late, while IE has lost nearly 40% market share to other browsers, I can't see how Opera can claim that the consumer is stiffled for choice... But that's another story.
pico_D6th Mar 2009 -
Ah...
So, any bets on how long it'll take before Microsoft reverts to its bad behaviour and the EC staggers back into action against them?
zkiwi4th Mar 2009 -
Do you mean "stagger back into the blackmail business?"
"Bad" behaviour indeed. Any other company can do any of this at any time it pleases. It's only "bad" because Clinton owed his Silicon Valley contributors a debt, and we got a left-wing judge. After the ruling, Europe has stolen at least two billion dollars from American business, and those who can't compete any other way petition the EU to join their den of thieves.
30YrVet5th Mar 2009 -
You mean the case that started during the Bush Administration?
The Microsoft case in the US started it's life back in 1991 (H. W. Bush administration, post Reagan). The set of consolidated civil actions was in 1998 (Clinton administration). The company has been hit with Anti-Trust cases in no less than 4 markets (US, EU, Japan and South Korea) and lost every case. In the both the US and the EU, Microsoft appealed the rulings/findings and lost (I am not sure if they appealed in South Korea or Japan). There is a pattern here.B.O.F.H.5th Mar 2009 -
RE: EC ends full-time antitrust monitoring of Microsoft
They "had to" fine them a couple of billion dollars. I'll bet it hurt them (strained their arms and legs) picking up all that cash. Maybe I can get them to "have to" fine people like you to pay off my mortgage.30YrVet5th Mar 2009 -
I think you meant to say...
...that the EU had the kahunas to stand up to the bully. I'll bet if your phone company behaved like Microsoft you'd complain... Oh wait, they did, and the US forced them to segment and allow competition.
If "pro" is the opposite of "con", what is the opposite of progress?914four5th Mar 2009 -
RE: EC ends full-time antitrust monitoring of Microsoft
The EC sucks. Microsoft just plays hard ball, and the sissy's in Europe can't play.. Tell them to create their own OS and rule the world.
Coors4bob5th Mar 2009 -
Europe can't play?
I would say, going by the fines levied against Microsoft that they played harder ball...
Microsoft did abuse their position and act against the good of the consumer and unfairly restricted competition.
Europe just thought it was unfair on their citizens, for them to have to pay MS money every time they installed Novell NetWare, UNIX or Linux on a PC...
If you think it is fair that Microsoft get money for you buying a PC with a non-Microsoft operating system, you can still send them a donation.
pico_D6th Mar 2009 -
RE: EC ends full-time antitrust monitoring of Microsoft
Bill Gates and Microsoft have always been CORRUPT and should remain under FULL TIME INVESTIGATION!!!
WildWaldo5th Mar 2009
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