Monday, January 19th 2009
Microsoft's Official Statement Following EU Commission Objections on IE with Windows
It is not the first time that Microsoft has had run-ins with the European Commission. The problem that keeps coming up is what the commission believes to be anti-competitive practices, being that Microsoft is bundling its own software with Windows instead of offering them separately. As has been seen with Windows 7, Microsoft has tried to keep them happy this time, by only including Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer. The rest can be downloaded free of charge, by what Microsoft has named the Windows Live Suite. It seems that this is not enough however, despite Internet Explorer being included in Microsoft's operating systems for over ten years, they have decided that this is an anti-competitive move by Microsoft, and as such have issued a Statement of Objections. The commission has given Microsoft approximately two months to respond, the official statement from Microsoft follows:
Sources:
Hexus.net, Microsoft
Yesterday Microsoft received a Statement of Objections from the Directorate General for Competition of the European Commission. The Statement of Objections expresses the Commission's preliminary view that the inclusion of Internet Explorer in Windows since 1996 has violated European competition law. According to the Statement of Objections, other browsers are foreclosed from competing because Windows includes Internet Explorer. The Statement of Objections states that the remedies put in place by the U.S. courts in 2002 following antitrust proceedings in Washington, D.C. do not make the inclusion of Internet Explorer in Windows lawful under European Union law.
"We are committed to conducting our business in full compliance with European law. We are studying the Statement of Objections now. Under European competition law procedure, Microsoft will be afforded an opportunity to respond in writing to this Statement of Objections within about two months. The company is also afforded an opportunity to request a hearing, which would take place after the submission of this response. Under EU procedure, the European Commission will not make a final determination until after it receives and assesses Microsoft's response and conducts the hearing, should Microsoft request one.
87 Comments on Microsoft's Official Statement Following EU Commission Objections on IE with Windows
The EU commission have scored an own goal here because they have really just shown that they don't have a clue and that they are grabbing MS profits. How about a demonstration of this browser-less OS for them? A 1 year trial for the EU commission!
MS should withdraw their products from the EU until their (the EU's) accounts are finally signed off for the first time in over a decade..
Just LOL
Do you remember the Windows version especially for EU? It had no WMP but it was sold with the same price as Retail Product.
It is like suing Volkswagen for mounting Blaupunkt sound system instead of Kenwood sound system :).....
But anyways,
Dear EU,
Please click this link. boardgames.about.com/library/graphics/tf05idiot1.jpg
Sincerely, I don't think u'll understand my name cuz ur an idiot.
I don't see how bundling IE is anti-competetive anyway. I've never seen an internet browser that needed to be paid for.
Windows and Internet Explorer are both products of Microsoft, so I don't understand how Microsoft is violating any kind of law by making Internet Explorer a part of Windows.
Could you imagine Windows without Explorer?
I suppose that we should all have to download seperate programs to eventually create an operating system ourselves. Joe Blow's Explorer, Bob's Kernel, Billy's Desktop, etc... until you create a functional OS yourself?
This is the same EU that made MS take out the ability to add an address bar to the task bar when they released the latest service pack for Xp. It is no wonder not much in the way of advancement comes out of Europe anymore. What a shame.
Well how do you get Windows on that PC in the first place? Through magic?
:shadedshu
Sometimes man I don't get people at all...
I miss playing star field.:roll:
The way it's done now is still anti-competitive. Think of all those Dell rig's where no one changes the browser as it already comes with IE. They are not giving their buyers a choice and a browser is a seperate piece of software from the OS.
It's true that they don;t make any money of IE, but they make a shed load from the default home-page address, and search funictions. Think of how many people have no idea how to change that.
Now though, this is just plain silly.
Microsoft includes Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Centre (on some versions).
Apple includes Safari, iTunes, Quicktime, FrontRow and DVD Player. And you're basically locked into using those until you find some form of alternatives, just like MS. I think if you're going to start suing for anti-trust, you might as well make it fair. Hell, Apple has even more anti-trust issues. You can't install their OS on another machine, their MP3 players use proprietary means of storing music and videos and whatever, let alone transferring them, and they use proprietary connectors here, there and everywhere.
Not saying I don't like Apple, but it's sort of showing the EU has double standards, although MS is the biggest in the industry, and so they'll always be right in the firing line I guess.