Banned up north

Summary: US states want Microsoft supervision extended; Russian authorities view Microsoft as a monopoly

ABUSIVE BEHAVIOUR is a justifiable reason for oversight if not intervention or legal action. According to this report, there is a push to extend US oversight of Microsoft until 2012.

Some US states may ask for continued supervision of Microsoft, to ensure the software giant isn't breaching the government's 2001 anti-trust agreement.

Microsoft oversight is due to expire on November 12, but states that signed on to the Department of Justice's (DoJ's) deal with Microsoft may now seek an extension that would last until 2012, according to a report.

Something similar is happening in Russia right now. Microsoft is trying to impose 'Linux tax' on Russians, the OOXML vote over there was a sham, and Microsoft is also dumping non-Free software on them. According to Profy:

Yesterday Russian anti-monopoly authorities informed us about the fact that they intend to officially include Microsoft in the register of monopolies doing business in the country.

[...]

In this manner the company will be monitored to see if it uses prices that are unreasonably high or unreasonably low and prevent competition in the market.

That latter part refers to dumping techniques, as last illustrated a couple of days ago. In addition, Microsoft is suing its competitors which can hardly afford defence (TomTom), so no wonder that in response to this strategy, the president of Bluehost.com said that "Steve Ballmer is a Jackass!" People have many reasons to be angry and Microsoft keeps giving more such reasons, even to highly potent authorities. ⬆

"We should whack them [Dell over GNU/Linux dealings], we should make sure they understand our value."

--Paul Flessner, Microsoft

Monopolies are no game