An A.P. story, EU Officials Accuse Microsoft of Monopoly reports that Microsoft was charged Wednesday of antitrust violations with regard to its media player and server software. The story reports that this culminates a four-year investigation into activities that are alleged to be still ongoing.
In Forbes.com: Mario Monti Messing With Microsoft, Dan Ackman reports that the EU complaint is that "Microsoft is leveraging its monopoly of the personal-computer operating-systems market to dominate the market for low-end servers and media players. It says that Microsoft's 'tying' of its server and media-player products to the Windows operating system 'weakens competition on the merits, stifles product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice.'" Ackman suggests that the existence of Microsoft's dominance in the Windows operating system means that it will always face such legal issues when it adds products to Windows.
BBC: "EU gives 'last chance' to Microsoft"
In a release on its own website, the European Commission stated: "This Statement of Objections, which includes the identification of appropriate remedies, gives Microsoft a last opportunity to comment before the Commission concludes the case. We are determined to ensure that the final outcome of this case is to the benefit of innovation and consumers alike."
Posted by dougsimpson at August 6, 2003 10:05 AM | TrackBack