Europe plays hardball with Microsoft

By CNET News.com Staff March 24, 2004 6:37 PM PST In a decision that could affect consumers, competitors and PC makers, the European Commission requires Microsoft to unbundle Media Player from Windows and pay a $613 million (497 million euro) fine. update Regulators hit the software giant with a fine of $613 million for violating European Union antitrust law and also order the unbundling of Media Player software from Windows. March 24, 2004 In a strongly worded letter, members of the House International Relations Committee ask regulators in Brussels to reconsider their decision to levy a record fine against the U.S.-based company. March 24, 2004 The European Commission issues a summary of its findings that Microsoft broke EU competition law and that its "ongoing abuses" are squelching innovation. March 24, 2004 What does the software giant have to do to comply with the EU ruling, and what is the impact for consumers? March 24, 2004 In a letter to the European Commission, members of Congress say that because the bundling issue was resolved by the DOJ settlement, it "should not have been an area of concern for the E.U." March 24, 2004 The EU's ruling in its antitrust case against Microsoft highlights the difficulties facing technical compliance officers. March 24, 2004 A decision in an earlier European antitrust case involving the health care industry could bode well for the software maker as it prepares its appeal. March 24, 2004 Interpretations differ on how the European Commission's decision will affect Microsoft, consumers and competitors. March 24, 2004 Despite the EU ruling, manufacturers aren't rushing to take up the option of shipping computers without Windows Media Player in Europe. March 24, 2004 Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer vows to fight the antitrust ruling, arguing that all companies, even ones with a near monopoly, have a right to improve their products. March 24, 2004 The European Union's decision to force the company to unbundle its media software with Windows could limit its product strategy. March 24, 2004 news analysis European regulators are going far beyond what U.S. prosecutors agreed to. How did similar antitrust philosophies lead to divergent courses? March 24, 2004 Microsoft may have set a difficult precedent for itself with a program to sell a scaled-back version of Windows XP in Thailand and Malaysia. March 24, 2004 The debate over the impact of the U.S. Department of Justice case reignites, as European regulators seek to impose stricter penalties against Microsoft. March 24, 2004 profile Flexibility and deliberation define the European Commission antitrust chief's controversial five-year reign. March 24, 2004 Every executive knows the risk of having old e-mails surface as trial evidence--but perhaps none so well as Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. March 24, 2004 perspective CNET News.com's Charles Cooper voices his opinion on how Steve Ballmer should have reacted to the European Union's competition commissioner. March 24, 2004 commentary The European Commission's ruling represents at best an annoyance to Microsoft, not a genuine barrier--even for Longhorn, Forrester says. March 24, 2004 The European Union isn't the only official agency making life difficult for Microsoft. Around the world, national and local governments are showing increasing interest in open-source software as an alternative to Windows. GermanyThe municipal government of Munich is in the midst of a program to to open-source software. The national government has also and is by government agencies. United KingdomThe government's procurement agency to run its new online purchasing system. The government also says it has saved millions of dollars by using the threat of open-source migration as a . ItalyRome city administrators chose open-source products to run a new city portal, following an appeal by Lucio Stanca, the country's technological innovation minister, for local governments to explore open-source alternatives. FranceParis has launched a study to determine the feasibility of to Linux. IndiaSome government and private agencies are on servers. South KoreaThe national government plans to have 20 percent of its desktop PCs and 20 percent to 30 percent of its servers by 2007. Korea is also cooperating with China and Japan in a project to develop an . ChinaThe national government is funding numerous efforts to promote open-source software and was one of the first countries to require Microsoft to . BrazilThe national government to develop open-source software. South AfricaThe government's main technology council has drafted a policy . Editors: Karen Southwick, Jon Skillings Copy editors: Zoë Barton, Scott Martin Design: Ellen Ng Production: Mike Markovich

Europe plays hardball with Microsoft

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