“The European Commission (EC) has granted Mozilla, the open-source collaboration behind the Firefox Web browser, the right to join its antitrust case against Microsoft, a spokesman said Monday,” Paul Meller reports for IDG News Service.
“The Commission, Europe’s top antitrust authority, charged Microsoft last month with distorting competition in the market for Web browsers by bundling in its Internet Explorer (IE) browser with the Windows operating system.” Meller reports. “If the charges stick, then Microsoft could be forced to change the way it distributes IE, as well as pay a fine for monopoly abuse.”
“Mozilla has been granted what’s called “interested third party” status in the case, which allows it to submit arguments to the European regulator, to see the confidential statement of objections the EC sent Microsoft last month, and to participate in a face-to-face hearing if Microsoft requests one,” Meller reports.
“Firefox is IE’s nearest rival in Europe, according to market share data from French researcher XiTiMonitor,” Meller reports. “Last November IE’s usage share in Europe stood at 59.5 percent, Firefox 31.1 percent, Opera 5.1 percent, Safari (Apple’s browser) 2.5 percent, and Google’s recently launched Chrome browser at 1.1 percent, XiTiMonitor said.
Meller reports, “Google and Apple weren’t immediately available to comment on whether they too would apply to join the EC’s antitrust case.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Another Irish Dude” for the heads up.]
