“Microsoft could be facing hefty fines by 25 January,” BBC News reports. “The European Commission has threatened to fine Microsoft up to 2m euros (£1.36m; $2.4m) a day until it gives rivals more access to its systems. Brussels said the software giant had failed to supply adequate information about its server programs. Microsoft has five weeks to provide improved documentation before the daily penalties are imposed. But the group pledged to contest the EU’s ‘unjustified’ demands by whatever means possible.”
“‘I have given Microsoft every opportunity to comply with its obligations,’ EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement as the five-week deadline was issued. ‘However, I have been left with no alternative other than to proceed via the formal route to ensure Microsoft’s compliance.’ The EU also warned that if Microsoft failed to provide the necessary information by 25 January, the daily fines would be backdated to 15 December 2005,” BBC News reports.
Full article here.
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MAKE em’ PAY!!!!!!!!!!!
…2.4M per day is a drop in the bucket.
I will F*ck you up..
Do I get a t-shirt or something? lol.
Good luck trying to get Microsoft to pay. The only authority Microsoft recognizes is its own.
Mac Daily News,
I find that very mean that while I am typing below is an add. for Microsoft!
Ironically, Bill has that exact amount in the little slot of each of his penny loafers. He’s sending his shoes priority overnight to the EU headquarters to buy two days time. I read this on the internet so it must be true.
It isn’t going to put them under but it’s not small, especially if they foolishly fight it for weeks. Since the fine is being backdated as soon as Jan 5 rolls around they will owe 21 days times 2m euro= 49.9 million dollars. This won’t kill them and they will probably pay within a few weeks of the fine starting to grow, but this is a step in the right direction.
2m euro/day is $867m a year, and while I doubt this will go on for a year, if the EU keeps biting at their heels like this, filing similar suits, or better yet, if the US strapped on a pair and followed their lead, things could get choppy for redmond.
Maybe the EU is finally going to put the screws to M$. 2.4M a day is chump change to M$ but….The fine would be retro-active to Dec 15 so the initial $ could be 98.4M!
cool… maybe Apple will be forced to open up their proprietary ipod too.
no offense, but Apple = MS if they could.
gorufo: “open up their proprietary ipod too”
I tried that. Turns out there’s just a bunch of electronic components inside the iPod. And it was darn tough getting it all back together. Do not try this at home. – Best regards, Literal Guy
What is this “MAY” garbage. If they did the crime, let them do the time (or fine).
“Apple will open their proprietary iPod to others when Microsoft opens the Xbox to play PlayStation games.”
The shareholders will pay. MSFT has done nothing in 5 years.
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steve ballmer: not the same thing. Apple doesn’t create the content… artists/directors/musicians create it… to be heard/seen… not only to be played on a specific system, like video games.
The iPod is not proprietary. Anybody using any platform can rip MP3s to it.
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In fact for all you Windoze morons out there, Macs are not proprietary. Anyone can write software for the MacOS. Anyone can build hardware for the MacOS. The ONLY thing that is proprietary is the computer to the operating system. And the only reason it is not that way in the PC world is because Microsoft was and is not a hardware company. SO STFU.
iThink that the EU Commission is going too far. All this is a result of MS haters crying to the EU cuz they can’t hang. Example, Real claimed that no one used their sorry players cuz consumers’ computers are infected with windows media player. Total garbage. People will use a product if its good & available… look at iTunes.
I don’t like MS a lot, but iDo think they are not being treated fairly. iAlso think that Apple could find itself in the same ship with iPod/iTunes if they’re not careful. If u think about it, Apple is doing the exact same thing with iPod/Itunes that MS does with Windows/Components.
I know it’s Windows and Bill Gates, but a government, any government, sucking even more money out of anybody’s pocket is a hard thing to watch.
There are greedy bastards on both sides of this fight.
You have to think of the iPod as you would a cost subsidized cell phone. You can only put stuff on a ‘free’ cell phone that the service provider that gave it to you allows. Stuff that the service provider sells you. Some abilities that the phone has the service provider can actually disable. Same goes for the iPod.
But the iPod is not free, you say.
No it isn’t, but iTunes is and it is a great piece of software. You are getting a system in both cases. The phone is free but you have monthly fees. The iPod costs $$$ but there are no monthly fees. In either case there are advantages and limitations.
iPod owners do not want the system to change, online digital music retailers do.
Anyone bitching about the iPod’s closed system has their livelihood tied up with a retailer who can’t get at the millions of iPod users. Everyone of them want to charge iPod users a monthly fee.
Sorry guys, we’ve paid for our iPods already. You want switchers to pay monthly fees, give away free players.
The only reason Microsoft isn’t paying serious fines in the U.S. is because Bush is in office. Clinton was about to strangle Microsoft, but then Bush came in and let Microsoft off the hook with murder.
‘However, I have been left with no alternative other than to proceed via the formal route to ensure Microsoft’s compliance.’
LOL!!! I swear, we need to deem a new term for this kind of situation. Big company sits on something for a while, waits, waits, other side keeps complaining and demanding something. More waiting. Its like MS offering things and people waiting and waiting and it comes out as rehashed garbage in the end. But they never bring in law suits. So, on that note, the “formal route” mentioned, will now be known as “Corporate Kickass Method” or “Kick’m” for short.
But I also agree, its a hard stone someone threw at MS, even for them. But let the bloodsucker loose some of its own life. Remember that the Euro is worth more than the american dollar, and they are filing for 2m E a day. The conversion rate will equal out to a couple million more if this carries on for any length of time.
Disregard that conversion thing I mentioned, got that all messed up in my head while reading the posts on this, just re-read the article.
MDN Magic Word “really”
As in I REALLY need to wake up here.
Backdate to Dec 15, 2005? Why not go for 2004 — they can pay. And if they still don’t pay, try the old exponential trick. Double the fine and the backdate duration every week. Let’s see how long they can last. MW: “power.”
We should just sack and burn Redmond. This is retarded.