p2pnet.net News:- Europeans will be able to buy a leaned-down version of Microsoft Windows, stripped of its music and video player, and the company will have to license out secret information to its competitors.

That’s the decision of the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg which rejected Microsoft’s efforts have an antitrust order suspended.

“We continue to believe that the Commission’s remedies will bring very few benefits to competitors and consumers in Europe, and will in fact harm many users of the Windows operating system and the thousands of companies across Europe who have built their businesses on the Windows platform,” says Microsoft in a statement.

“We believe that the code removal remedy, obliging Microsoft to release a degraded version of the Windows operating system, will be harmful to consumers and competition and undermines the technology integration that has been the backbone of the IT revolution over the past 3 decades.

“We will take a close look at the order before deciding on our next steps but we will, as we have always said, comply fully with the Court order when it comes into force, pursuant to contingency plans that have been discussed with the European Commission.”

“Bo Vesterdorf, president of the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg, dismissed a request by Microsoft to delay the European Commission’s measures pending an appeal of a March ruling that Microsoft violated antitrust law,” says Bloomberg News. “He heard arguments Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 and announced his decision today in an e- mailed statement.”

But, "Just because Microsoft has said it will comply immediately with a European Court judge’s order to follow specified antitrust remedies doesn’t mean life will be a bowl of cherries for Microsoft’s partners, developers and even its competitors," says eWeek, going on:

"Industry watchers said they will be watching exactly how Microsoft makes good on the court-ordered removal of Windows Media Player from its Windows desktop operating system, and its publishing of communications protocols designed to make Windows better communicate with competitors’ products."

===================

See:-
harm many users- Microsoft Statement on European Union Court of First Instance Order on Interim Measures, Microsoft, December 22, 2004
Bo Vesterdorf – Microsoft Loses Bid to Suspend EU Antitrust Order, Bloomberg News, December 22, 2004bowl of cherries – Industry Watchers: Don’t Think Microsoft Is Down for the Count, eWeek, December 22, 2004

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004 at 9:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

HOME

Viewed 12137 times