Record EU fine for Microsoft (EU fines Microsoft $1.3 billion)

[jordi_fanclub]

Source: AP via Yahoo!

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union is fining Microsoft Corp. $1.3 billion for charging rivals too much for software information.

EU regulators say the company charged "unreasonable prices" to software developers who wanted to make products compatible with the Windows operating system. The fine is the largest ever for a single company and the first time the EU has penalized a business for failing to obey an antitrust order.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_re_eu/eu_microsoft

[bluerum]

1. Why does the EU seems to get it, that MS is a defacto monopoly on a host

of software products, and has no other aim than to ensure that monopoly into perpituty.

It would be one thing if they listened to the people who bought their crap and tried to improve it. But their business model is such that we are perpetually buying the next version of a product in the vain hope that MS will have fixed the bugs in the last version.

It appears to me, that part of the MS business strategy is to ensure that there are always bugs and broken or missing features to ensure a future market for their crap-ware.

Another part of the model to is strangle, stifle and otherwise eliminate the competition.

It does not appear to me, that complete customer satisfaction has ever a prime concern for MS.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. European commission fines Microsoft record £680m

Source: Guardian

The EU today imposed a record €899m (£680m) fine on Microsoft for charging "unreasonable" prices to rivals for access to its dominant software.

The fine, the largest imposed on a single company, brings the total levied on the world's leading software group close to €1.7bn in the past four years.

Neelie Kroes, EU competition commissioner, who said she had no pleasure in imposing the fine, told journalists she could have charged Microsoft €1.5bn in the latest penalty.

The fine, representing 60% of the maximum, reflects the 488 days – until October 22 2007 - in which Microsoft refused to comply with the commission's March 2004 anti-trust ruling.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/27/microsoft.europe?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront