“The European Union on Thursday threatened Microsoft Corp. with fines of up to $4 million a day, claiming the software giant had failed to live up to promises for providing affordable and useful information that could help rivals make software for workgroup servers compatible with its Windows system,” Raf Casert reports for The Associated Press.
“‘This is a company which apparently does not like to have to conform with antitrust decisions,’ said EU Commission spokesman Jonathan Todd,” Casert reports.
“Under a landmark 2004 antitrust ruling by the European Union, Microsoft had to disclose complete and accurate interface documentation on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, allowing its competitors to interoperate with Windows PCs and servers,” Casert reports. “Under a ‘statement of objections’ released Thursday, the EU’s executive Commission said there was ‘no significant innovation’ in the requested information.”
“‘Microsoft has agreed that the main basis for pricing should be whether its protocols are innovative,’ said EU Antitrust Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement. ‘The Commission’s current view is that there is no significant innovation in these protocols. I am therefore again obliged to take formal measures to ensure that Microsoft complies with its obligations,’ Kroes said,” Casert reports. “Microsoft has four weeks to reply to the Commission after which the EU could impose fines going as high as 3 million euros ($4 million) a day, Todd said.”
Full article here.
Give ’em a break, EU. Poor Microsoft. Everybody knows Microsoft is incapable of innovation, so stop with the unreasonable demands!
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