EU rules on Microsoft antitrust appeal: Bad news for Microsoft

The 15-month deliberation into Microsoft's appeal to the European ruling in their anti-trust case is over. The news is pretty bad for Microsoft as their appeal has been dismissed. As such, the $688 million fine imposed in 2004 stands and Microsoft must pay 80% of the Commission's legal costs as additional insult. Microsoft did succeed at abolishing the independent monitoring trustee established to supervise Microsoft's behavior. Microsoft can still appeal to the highest court in Europe so this isn't over by any stretch of the imagination.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 18th 2007 3:18AM]

blame the engine and not engadget?? Sounds reasonable to me.

If it sickens you.... find some other site? sounds reasonable to me as well!

[moondy Posted Sep 18th 2007 10:42AM]

This should set a precedent. The world should fine Microsoft for false advertising.

Vista does not bring wow in my life, only woe.

[42 Posted Sep 18th 2007 4:50PM]

If I were Microsoft - I'd skip the appeal, cut to the chase, and suspend all business in the EU immediately. Let them figure out how to get buy without M$ in the course of their daily government, business, military, and civilian lives. I'm sure M$ could withstand it.

I personally don't care for M$ and don't use their products - but only in America could a company like M$ get off the ground and grow into what it is today. The EU has just decided they deserve a piece of that fortune.

[tophtucker Posted Sep 18th 2007 8:42PM]

I think it's important to keep in mind that this isn't just bad for Microsoft. From the New York Times:

"Software and legal experts said the European ruling might signal problems for companies like Apple, Intel and Qualcomm, whose market dominance in online music downloads, computer chips and mobile phone technology is also being scrutinized by the European Commission."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/technology/18soft.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 19th 2007 12:11PM]

@ David S and the like:

Only in America also can you have so many people who back up such idiotic arguments with supposed 'knowledge'.

If, like far too many americans, MS decided to become ignorant enough to cut the EU out of its business (more than it already has mind you, xbox live anyone?) they'd be cutting out an unimaginably large portion of their market, which would just go straight to Apple quicker than you can say "unfair practice, another lawsuit please".

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 19th 2007 2:59PM]

I think it is extremely unfair to fine mincrosoft but not apple. Microsoft at least gives you a choice if you pick their product. However if you buy an iPod, you are forced to use iTunes.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 20th 2007 8:21AM]

Ok, so I M$ get fined for bundling Windows Media Player at the expense of RealPlayer and others but this isn't the only piece of software they thrust under people's noses in a manner that negates user choice. As people have started to mention on this thread, I'm referring to the web browser.

Regardless of whether you think that IE is the best browser (personally I don't) but in the same way that your average user will think "hey, I've got something to play movies with here, why do I need to install something else" then surely the same logic exists to web browsers too. M$ have dominance in that market in the same way as they have dominance in the media player market because they make sure every user in the world has their browser installed on their PC and more importantly they have it installed BEFORE the user has opportunity to make an informed choice themselves.

For what it's worth, I personally think that Windows Media Player is by far a better product that it's competitors but thats not to say I shouldn't have had a choice when I setup my system. In addition to this, I've had more problems with IE7 than any other browser and so my browser of choice is Firefox. I'm effectively left with software cluttering up my HD which I didn't want nor chose to install.

Surely M$ should allow users a choice at the point of installation otherwise they are just as guilty of abuse of position with IE as they were in respect of the their Media Player.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 20th 2007 11:37AM]

Well the case is pure stupidity for suing microsoft for being too successful? Compare it to Mac which locks their OS only do their hardware? isn't that worth exploring more rather then microsoft's tiny glitch? Probably EU sees microsoft a better money tree to be shaken off rather then steve's overpriced apple? Unless they are suing others which has exclusive stuffs to themselves i don't see the point of EU at all. Talking about anti-trust well if the companies are good they could form an alliance themselves and rub their nose with Microsoft? ever asked why Linux haven overtook microsoft thou for its open source?

EU stop being a kiddo.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 20th 2007 1:48PM]

Yeh, the Americans need to do it the old fashioned way in Europe. Run an unsuccessful campaign to wipe out the world, and get rich making the machinery for such a dominant task, while eliminating your competition to once and for all become the largest car manufacturing plant in Europe, and then expect the EU to keep things "fair" in a corporate competitive sense. I'm sure there are other examples besides car manufacturing where fairness takes on a whole new meaning, and corporate fairness means to pay extortion money to a frivolous entity whose sole purpose is to tilt the wheels of corporate expansion even further in the favor of European owned and managed enterprises.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 3rd 2007 3:09AM]

You MS fans do understand that with some of the source codes of windows being alowed to use by other company's that can make a OS they can make their OS so that it will run windows applications. And thats what this is all about, MS its marketshare isnt because of superior software, its because of all the apps build on it. Some of you maybe new with computers and internet but i havent forgotten that windows came free during the time the internet became populair a little over a decade ago and thats where they got their market share from. I am very sure that with other company's releasing OS's that can run windows based apps MS would try to make windows even better! ;]

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 3rd 2007 3:09AM]

Also, id like to add that back in the days when WMP was new and Realplayer was in the game the RealPlayers playback quality was by far more better then that of WMP when it came to online streaming, i prefered RP back then altough these days i dont have it installed at all. Its been years since the company complained ofcourse and since then WMP gotten better and their is other better codecs installed with WMP for better playback and due to this competition RealPlayer has been pushed to add more advertizing to keep itself from drowning.