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Print E-mail del.icio.us 106 comment(s) - last by PrinceGaz.. on Jul 12 at 7:45 AM
EU raises daily cap to $3.8M USD

DailyTech reported last week that Microsoft is not complying with the European Union's (EU) wishes in regards to an ongoing antitrust battle. Microsoft and the EU have been butting heads since the March 2004 antitrust ruling.

Microsoft has been asked to hand over documentation to its competitors detailing the inner workings of its software applications or face daily $2.6 million USD fines. A report from Reuters today states that the EU plans to raise the cap on daily fines to $3.8 million USD:

The penalty, likely to run into hundreds of millions of euros, comes on top of a record 497 million euro fine the Commission already imposed in its landmark antitrust decision against Microsoft in March 2004. It signals the Commission's determination to force Microsoft to obey its decision as well as a loss of patience after the company has had two years to comply and has used every available legal avenue to spin out the process.

Microsoft has shown no signs of backing down from its position to not divulge what it sees as its prized intellectual property. Microsoft has also stated that every change that it has made to comply with the ruling has met with more roadblocks from the EU.

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none
By TheDoc9 on 7/10/06, Rating: 0
Alternate causality...
By kondor999 on 7/10/2006 2:02:50 PM , Rating: 2
Or maybe they haven't been bought off like our own politicians. I think they just don't want to see MS dominate their native companies in the way we've allowed MS to do so in this country. Something about stifling competition, etc. If Linus Torvalds was an American, his OS would've been bought by MS and quietly swept under the rug.

And as far as developing their own OS, they already have.

It's called Linux. Invented in Finland. See Above.

PS - No, I'm not some europhile; I'm actually an officer in the USAF, but I can still call 'em like I see 'em.


RE: Alternate causality...
By masher2 (blog) on 7/10/2006 2:59:57 PM , Rating: 4
> "I think they just don't want to see MS dominate their native companies"

Of course, because Microsoft pays US taxes, whereas EU companies pay EU taxes.

The requirements the EU is setting are just plain silly. The original source code *and* tens of thousands of pages of documentation created just to meet their demands-- and they say its still not enough? That even MORE documentation must be created, or "compatible" programs cannot be written for Windows?

Guess what? Thousands of companies and developers have ALREADY written Windows-compatible software, without the source code and new documentation Microsoft has already provided. Not even Microsoft's own developers had access to this new documentation...its being created SPECIFICALLY by EU Mandate.

And the EU is still saying, "sorry, we want more"...without ever deigning to specify exactly whats required.

Its obvious to anyone with even a room temperature IQ they're simply looking for a massive payout from Microsoft, a move that will be politically popular...and help to make up budget shortfalls all throughout Europe.


RE: Alternate causality...
By Shivian on 7/11/2006 7:10:22 AM , Rating: 2
A few hundred million isn't going to solve a continent's financial problems. Budget shortfalls might be going a touch far?


RE: Alternate causality...
By masher2 (blog) on 7/11/2006 9:06:04 AM , Rating: 4
> "A few hundred million isn't going to solve a continent's financial problems..."

$3.8M/day x 2 years is nearly $2.8 Billion. While that won't "solve" anything, it certainly will help to fill the budget shortfalls in quite a few European nations.

Furthermore, the real hope is that, by forcing Microsoft to divulge its trade secrets and train Europeans in their use, that it will boost sales for local companies...companies that pay local taxes.


RE: Alternate causality...
By PrinceGaz on 7/12/2006 7:45:50 AM , Rating: 2
US$2.8 billion is nothing compared to the total GNP of all EU countries combined.

The GDP (which is less than the GNP) of the European Union in 2005 was estimated at US$12,180 billion.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ranko...

They're not trying to get two or three extra billion because it will make any difference to the european economy, it is to punish Microsoft for anti-competitive practices.


yeah, right ...
By cgrecu77 on 7/10/2006 3:26:56 PM , Rating: 1
make no mistake about it, the europeans could care less about you (the people that is). They are only doing it because they are afraid that an american company has such a stronghold on a delicate market ... there are numerous examples were eu or european companies behave in an uncompetitive manner that is much more flagrant the what ms does ...


RE: Alternate causality...
By cgrecu77 on 7/10/2006 3:34:33 PM , Rating: 2
plus that to say that ms is the reason why companies can't compete it's pure bullshit .. they are accusing them that they "killed" real network's player by not revealing this internal stuff, but how about iTunes, how come iTunes is so successful ... they are accusing them of killing netscape, but how about mozilla or opera? They are accusing them of monopoly because windows is everywhere, but how about linux, macos? And the list goes on and on ....

The truth of the matter is that ms became a huge behemoth because of decent products at the right prices combined with an aggressive policy against their competitors _ lots of luck ... Nothing illegal about that, but now authorities are facing with a big dilemma, a monopoly that cannot be broken because it did nothing wrong, it became a monopoly by obeying (for the most part) the rules of the open market ...

Until they change the laws they can't do anything about it, or at least anything that is not an utter stupidity like this decision ...


RE: Alternate causality...
By CSMR on 7/10/2006 11:47:00 PM , Rating: 2
Countries naturally have different motives regarding local and foreign companies. You can expect the EU to be more eager to fine microsoft given that it is based in the USA. This difference need not involve "buying off".


RE: none
By Dev17 on 7/10/2006 2:05:49 PM , Rating: 3
lol, what are they going to do, stop using windows?

This is just the Eu's way of trying to stifle microsoft so they can develope thier own OS, or steel Ms's. The EU has been trying to become the dominate world power for years, this is just another step.

You are an idiot.


RE: none
By tk109 on 7/10/2006 2:19:42 PM , Rating: 1
Well it is a bunch of BS. For Microsoft this is like asking the US military to hand over all it's blueprints to it's Stealth Bombers or something. They are asking for way to much. EU has a different agenda going on and should be the ones critisized not Microsoft.


RE: none
By Hare on 7/10/2006 2:37:09 PM , Rating: 5
They are not asking for them to release the complete sources to windows. They are asking for some information to certain APIs. That's like asking Mercedez to tell how you can install a third party fuel injection system.

But nevermind. This is one of those threads were it's pointless to say anything. Every one message with some intellectual content is instantly flooded over with twenty messages with just random nothing-to-do-with-facts-mambojambo


RE: none
By CU on 7/10/2006 3:08:55 PM , Rating: 2
Your car comparison is not a good one. I know companies that develop tunners cannot always get the information they need from the car manufactures and have to reverse engineer it. And I have not seen GM, Ford, etc. fined millions per day for this. Also some libraries for linux have very poor documentation, although who would you fine.


RE: none
By Hare on 7/10/2006 3:43:09 PM , Rating: 2
That's because Ford or GM don't have >90% marketshare.


RE: none
By creathir on 7/10/2006 3:47:04 PM , Rating: 1
False.
It is like asking Mercedes for information on the manufacturing process.
It would be like going up to a French chef, and asking him how exactly he makes his product. Like going up to an oenologist and asking what exactly went into their release. Trade secrets are trade secrets, and all the EU wants to do is open up Microsoft's trade secrets for all to see.

You pro-EU (really anti-Microsoft) people always accuse the rest of us as not having solid thoughts when it comes to these matters, when in reality it just shows your elitism thru and thru. Our opinions have everything to do with the facts, they just are not to your benefit in the debate.

- Creathir


RE: none
By masher2 (blog) on 7/10/2006 3:58:28 PM , Rating: 3
> "all the EU wants to do is open up Microsoft's trade secrets for all to see..."

It's even worse than this. Microsoft has already agreed to give up the source code and all the documentation their internal developers have. The EU wants far more now, however. They want massive amounts of new documentation created, and have even been hinting Microsoft may have to train developers from other companies.


RE: none
By creathir on 7/10/2006 4:04:56 PM , Rating: 1
Out of control I say... out of control...

Imagine the amount of outcry that would occure of the same were asked of say...

Google ?

quote:
This is pure BS... to force a company that is just trying to protect itself and its product... this is uncalled for! Down the the [INSERT COUNTRY NAME HERE} Government!


- Creathir


RE: none
By creathir on 7/10/2006 3:56:55 PM , Rating: 1
Why is it their RIGHT to develop on Windows anyway???
Unless they own the product, they have to play by the rules of the platform you are developing on. Just as in the World Cup, you must play by the rules... or you will be disqualified. (or ejected as the case may be)

- Creathir


RE: none
By Hare on 7/10/2006 6:10:23 PM , Rating: 1
Creathir a.k.a S. Balmer? Take a breathe and calm down. Your analogies are just retarded. This is nothing like what you described. Why is it their right? Because that's what floats MS and Windows. Windows sure would be spanking product without the apps? The applications are the only thing preventing Apple from being the choice of the masses...


RE: none
By masher2 (blog) on 7/11/2006 9:09:42 AM , Rating: 3
> "Creathir a.k.a S. Balmer? Take a breathe and calm down. Your analogies are just retarded. This is nothing like what you described. Why is it their right? Because that's what floats MS and Windows. Windows sure would be spanking product without the apps? "

Wow...you start with a red herring and guilt by association, move to ad hominem, then slide stickily into the most muddled excuse for logic I've yet seen in the thread.

Yes, an OS isn't very useful without applications. That, however, does not imply that developing applications for the OS of another company is a moral right, now does it?