

Microsoft is not happy






Sources: General Court of the EU [PDF], Reuters

Comments     Threshold


RE: I think I fugred it out...
By fteoath64 on 6/28/2012 6:16:50 AM , Rating: 1
Yeah agreed. The law is the law. Not as if MS has no high-priced ace lawyers arguing this case due to the potential amount in billions of fines they might incur as they started this proceedings.

This is the price to pay for operating in the wrong way on ANY land. MS could have mitigate their way around it but no, they had to be stubborn about this. EU bureaucrats have no patience for arrogant companies be it their own or from other countries.

RE: I think I fugred it out...
By StevoLincolnite on 6/28/2012 8:00:57 AM , Rating: 4
OH COMMON! They were fined for bundling a free application with an OS.
Now... Apple does it with both MacOS and iOS, Google does it with Android, Linux does, Palm did it, RIM does it, FreeBSD... So they should all be fined, otherwise the EU looks incredibly two faced about it all. (I.E. It's just a money grab, NOTHING more.)

RE: I think I fugred it out...
By BZDTemp on 6/28/2012 1:51:52 PM , Rating: 1
Go look up "monopoly" and "controlling market share".

When you have like 90%+ of the market you can use that control to grab control of other markets thus tougher rules apply. Non of the examples you mention are anything like that.

RE: I think I fugred it out...




RE: I think I fugred it out...


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RE: I think I fugred it out...
By Solandri on 6/28/2012 5:37:15 PM , Rating: 4
The fine wasn't for bundling a free browser with their OS. The fine was for abusing their monopoly position to stifle competition in the browser market by bundling a free browser with their OS.

After IE successfully vanquished Netscape and hit 90% market share, there was a 13 or 14 month period when no new features were added to IE. The only updates Microsoft released were security updates. That is, once they'd eliminated the competition and they controlled the market, Microsoft ceased putting money into improving the product.

It was this hiatus which allowed Firefox to get its foot in the door. One could argue that that was the just punishment Microsoft deserved for ceasing development. But I would argue that the hiatus never should have happened in the first place. If Microsoft had been prevented from eliminating the competition, competition would have insured continual investment into browser development, and browser technology would be 13-14 months ahead of where it is today.

Basically, the browsers you and I are using today are a little over a year behind in technology because of what Microsoft did. That's why they're being fined.

RE: I think I fugred it out...
By TheJian on 7/1/2012 7:04:12 PM , Rating: 2
Spoken like someone who actually read some crap before coming here to post! :)

I couldn't have said it better myself...(not for lack of effort though...ROFLMAO). Very nice Solandri.

I cringed today as i saw the about face Judge Koh did as she's right back to being apples lapdog (didn't she just say she wouldn't be apples B*tch?). Where's POSNER when you need him with that $1 verdict? Step on KOH then apple.. ;) Does anyone do their job these days? Patent office, Judges, senate, etc...All useless bought lapdogs (Posner being the only exception it seems). SCOTUS just passed a TAX that congress hasn't even voted on (not as a tax, they said it was NOT a tax, but judges just passed it as one - aren't they supposed to know the law?). I digress...

RE: I think I fugred it out...







