Microsoft sues European Commission

Microsoft continues its long-running legal battle with the European Commission. Now, Redmond is striking back.

The Commission imposed sanctions against the software giant, including a record 497 million-euro fine, in March 2004 in a case which also covered the bundling of Microsoft’s Media Player with Windows, but the company has not entirely carried them out.
Microsoft challenged the Commission’s decision — a case which has yet to go to hearing — and, separately, tried without success to get the sanctions suspended by the court.
Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes had warned Microsoft it had to comply by June 1, 2005, or face new enforcement action.
Microsoft filed a compliance agreement by the deadline.
But it managed to soften a remedy which required it to share communications protocols — software rules of the road — with all rival makers of server software for small offices.
Essentially, the Commission and Microsoft agreed that those who received the protocols could not make them public.
The makers of open-source server software, who publish the source codes for all products they issue, cried foul at this, however, and Microsoft and the Commission decided to leave the issue to the Court of First Instance.

Posted by on September 7th, 2005 at 9:54 am


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