Microsoft is accused by EU AGAIN

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Sackboy

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Microsoft is accused by EU again

The European Commission has accused Microsoft of harming competition by bundling its Explorer web browser with its Windows operating system.

The commission said it had reached the preliminary view that the US software giant had undermined consumer choice and infringed EU rules.

Microsoft and the European Union have engaged in legal battles over competition issues for years.

Last year, the EU fined Microsoft 899m euros ($1.4bn; £680.9m).

Browser battle

In its statement on Friday the Commission said: "Microsoft's tying of Internet Explorer to the Windows operating system harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice."

Microsoft said that it was studying the commission's preliminary finding, and did not rule out requesting a formal hearing.

It has been given eight weeks to reply.

The US software firm controls the majority of the web-browsing market through its Explorer browser.

Analysts say the company has diversified enormously and is now no longer so reliant on its Windows operating system, with revenue coming from Xbox sales and server software.

In February 2008, the EU fined Microsoft 899m euros for defying sanctions imposed on it for anti-competitive behaviour.

The penalty - which was then one of the largest imposed by the European Commission - came after Microsoft failed to comply with an earlier 2004 ruling that it had abused its market position.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7834792.stm

I wonder if MS is going to try and stretch this out until Windows 7 appears?
 
Mozilla certainly isn't bothered... or worried for that matter. They are slowly taking over the web browser market. One pc at a time...
 
My PC has always had mozilla's vote:p (Except for the CourierIT website, which I require iexplore to use)
 
I still don't get it. Surely browsers are an integral part of modern computers. The browsers with the top market share are all free in any case. Doesn't Apple include Safari with Mac OS X? Why should they be treated any differently, then? (Apologies if you can deselect it during Mac OS X install)
 
dj_jyno said:
I still don't get it. Surely browsers are an integral part of modern computers. The browsers with the top market share are all free in any case. Doesn't Apple include Safari with Mac OS X? Why should they be treated any differently, then? (Apologies if you can deselect it during Mac OS X install)
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The problem here is its INTERGRATED...

As in if you want to do updates and the likes you HAVE to use internet explorer whereas on Mac OS X the browser doesn't even play a role in how the operating systems operates...
 
While I'm by no means a great fan of Microsoft or how they go about doing things, I have to say this thing about them including Internet Explorer (or Media Player) with Windows being anti competitive is stupid. I don't even think it's worth explaining why it's stupid especially while there's far more important things to focus on.

For example, their horrid "open" document format and how they keep their systems so locked down making it hard for people who don't pay to develop ways to communicate with their servers and many other things.

This moaning about them including something that's a free download with the installation it pathetic regardless of there being things worth far more attention.
 
I'm a freeware fan and the only pay to use software I use is Windows (and I mean ONLY). But seriously I'm starting to think the EU are just doing this to get some money from M$ it's a nice bonus each time they take them to court.
 
Browser said:
While I'm by no means a great fan of Microsoft or how they go about doing things, I have to say this thing about them including Internet Explorer (or Media Player) with Windows being anti competitive is stupid. I don't even think it's worth explaining why it's stupid especially while there's far more important things to focus on.

For example, their horrid "open" document format and how they keep their systems so locked down making it hard for people who don't pay to develop ways to communicate with their servers and many other things.

This moaning about them including something that's a free download with the installation it pathetic regardless of there being things worth far more attention.
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Gnome said:
I'm a freeware fan and the only pay to use software I use is Windows (and I mean ONLY). But seriously I'm starting to think the EU are just doing this to get some money from M$ it's a nice bonus each time they take them to court.
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+100. This whole thing is jst fckn stupid.
 
@Gnome & mercurial... I'm starting to think that that's actually the case myself because I'm sure EU could do with a few extra hundred million pounds in the piggy
 
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