“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!
Related articles:
Microsoft caught off-guard, beaten badly by Apple’s iPhone innovations – February 13, 2007
TIME Magazine: Microsoft’s Windows Vista ‘an embarassment to the good name of American innovation’ – February 02, 2007
Bill Gates lists Microsoft ‘innovations’ that Apple has offered Mac users for years – January 30, 2007
Pioneer Press: Windows Vista shows ‘Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much’ – January 29, 2007
Dave Winer: ‘Microsoft isn’t an innovator, and never was – they are always playing catch-up’ – December 01, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista: If you can’t innovate… try to impersonate Apple’s Mac OS X – August 10, 2006
Ballmer: I’m Microsoft’s ‘primary champion of innovation’ – July 27, 2006
Innovative Apple has changed the course of the personal computer revolution many times – April 02, 2006
Apple Computer consistent innovator again and again over 30 years – March 26, 2006
Apple Computer No. 1 on Fortune’s ‘Most Admired for Innovation 2006’ list – March 14, 2006
Imitating Apple Computer is no match for innovation – January 17, 2006
Apple’s talent and innovation vs. Microsoft’s hype – October 25, 2005
PC World: Microsoft innovation – an oxymoron – September 14, 2005
Apple Computer tops The 2005 Wired 40 list of companies leading tech innovation – April 25, 2005
Charles Arthur: Microsoft’s definition of ‘innovation’ different from everyone else’s – April 27, 2004
I read posts from people like Linux Guy in the same way that I read the letters page in the London Telegraph: to frighten myself in a safe way and to thank Henrik that I can think and talk without spraying my computer screen with spittle.
As to SydneyStephen: I salute you sir, for your cogency and rational thinking.
I think that SydneyStephen’s choice to pick on some guy he doesn’t even know makes him a dick. Honestly, we’re commenting on Apple related news stories here. Lighten up.
@Chill
I respect the right of anyone to express a view. But woe betide someone who expresses a view that they cannot support and which attacks a person, business, country or people.
In short, if you are going to make an outrageous statement and you cannot back it up, you deserve to be shot down in flames.
And if I choose to defend the EU (I hold an EU passport, why should I not defend the EU?) against baseless attacks such as this, who are you to criticise me?
Comments such as those of LinuxGuy only serve to obscure the real issues. And the real issue here is that Microsoft choose to operate in the EU and, as a consequence of that choice, should expect to operate within EU Law. They are not and they have been fined.
EU Law is designed to protect the interests of the peoples of the EU. If Microsoft is behaving in a manner which the EU courts ort the EU Parliament determine is contrary to the rights of the peoples of the EU, they are entitled to move to force Microsoft to discontinue such behaviour.
The US administration and congress have moved to defend the rights of the american people against anti-competitive behaviour on many occasions.
Your defence of Linuxguy is misplaced. And your entreaty to “lighten up” is offensive. Were it the US government under attack from some misinformed anonymous poster from Germany, would you leap to his or her defence? I think not.
There is a misconception among some people that every viewpoint is worthy of equal consideration. This is simply not so. An uneducated, poorly stated view is worth a great deal less consideration that a well-researched, well argued viewpoint. If you were to ask two people why you were coughling up blood, would you give equal consideration to the viewpoint of a medical professional and your garbage collector?
The whole board, with this political s**t, is going to the dogs