04.23.07
Interoperability in the EU — Will Microsoft Be Split?
Novell and Sun Microsystems are mentioned in a series of articles, which could not escape without a comment. There is a very close tie between these events in Europe and Novell’s deal with Microsoft. The interesting headline that catches one’s eye was this.
Microsoft Responds as EU Considers Break-Up
“It could be reasonable to draw the conclusion that behavioral remedies are ineffective and that a structural remedy is warranted,” Kroes stated. While it may strike many as odd that the European Union could order a company located in the United States to split up or otherwise modify its structure, Kroes noted the possibility of such remedies is specifically mentioned in EU antitrust law.
What comes to mind now is that video which we posed the other day. Therein, Judge Jackson talks about the need to spilt Microsoft.
To finish off, here is food for thought. The Comes vs Microsoft exhibits always bring a gem back to life. This time is no exception. From Microsoft’s own mouth:
“For example, we should take the lead in establishing a common approach to UI and to interoperability (of which OLE is only a part). Our efforts to date are focussed too much on our own apps, and only incidentally on the rest of the industry. We want to own these standards, so we should not participate in standards groups. Rather, we should call ‘to me’ to the industry and set a standard that works now and is for everyone’s benefit. We are large enough that this can work.”
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gpl1 said,
April 24, 2007 at 12:05 am
It’s very sad that MS has been able to get away with this for so long. They may love to point to the soft outcome of the US ruling as precedent, but even that may change by the time a Democrat is president for next term (as will other illegal monopolies).
Most sickening to me is that they want the ability to profit from a court decision of them being an illegal monopoly, by selling their “innovative” embraced/extended server protocols and then say that the EU are a bunch of evil, profit-hating commies. Or so goes the discussion on Ars Technica about this news topic right now..
gpl1 said,
April 24, 2007 at 12:05 am
make that the EC, not EU, sorry..
Roy Schestowitz said,
April 24, 2007 at 12:20 am
I agree wholeheartedly. On C|Net, I have spotted Microsoft proxies taking the soapbox (column) to attack the EU*.
On other occasions, I have seen the “us” versus “them” analogy being used to elevate Microsoft on patriotic grounds. I try not to post this in here unless it relates to Novell in one form or another, but it’s discussed a lot elsewhere.
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*I was told that EU and EC are indistinguishable in this particular context as one represents another.
shane said,
April 24, 2007 at 7:35 am
Heh, I remember back when MS got broken up here in the US.