Microsoft Ready To Address EU Antitrust Concerns 176
An anonymous reader sends this quote from a Reuters report:
"Software giant Microsoft is ready to introduce measures that would address the European Union's antitrust concerns about users' ability to chose between different browsers, European Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said on Saturday. EU antitrust regulators are investigating whether Microsoft blocks computer makers from installing rival web browsers on its upcoming Windows 8 operating system, following complaints from several companies. Almunia is in charge of antitrust enforcement at the European Commission. 'In my personal talks with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer he has given me assurances that they will comply immediately regardless of the conclusion of the anti trust probe,' Almunia said at an economic conference in northern Italy, adding that he considered the matter a 'very, very serious issue.'"
Think About This (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Think About This (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple *makes* their stuff.
Microsoft is telling a third party what the third party can put on the machines they sell running windows.
Think about the subtle difference.
Re:For the record (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Double standards (Score:2, Insightful)
Given that browser restrictions only apply to Win8 running on ARM, we're not talking about desktop OSes here, but rather tablets and such. Where there's no established monopoly as yet (but of all companies, Apple would be closest to having it, rather than MS).
Re:Dear EU regulator: Secure Boot (Score:4, Insightful)
The 'remedy' does nothing (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Think About This (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Steve Ballmer he has given me assurances... (Score:0, Insightful)
Poor old Ballmer can't catch a break.
Even in his own Slashdot topic, he gets modded flamebait.
"Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches. The way the license is written, if you use any open-source software, you have to make the rest of your software open source," Ballmer explained"
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/ [theregister.co.uk]
Re:Does the EU do anything else than US bashing? (Score:5, Insightful)
Does the EU have any other purpose than harassing US companies? This is 10+ year old news.
Microsoft has a legally binding contract with the EU.
It seems like Microsoft broke that contract.
The EU investigates.
Where exactly is the harassment?
On a side note: The EU also investigates European companies in the same way if they break anti-trust laws. One example: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8140024.stm [bbc.co.uk]