Microsoft commentary slams EU ruling

Aiming to portray itself as the victim of overreaching regulators, Microsoft on Wednesday released a position paper insisting that the European Union's antitrust sanctions amount to "new law" that could hurt others in the technology industry.

The seven-page paper, posted late Wednesday on Microsoft's Web site, is a cross between a treatise and a legal brief, citing both the potential damage of the ruling and the alleged legal shortcomings of the decision.

"The commission is seeking to make new law that will have an adverse impact on intellectual property rights and the ability of dominant firms to innovate," Microsoft said in the paper. "This adverse impact will not be confined to the software industry or to Europe."

The release of the paper comes just as the European Union is preparing to issue the full 300-page text of its ruling against Microsoft. The software maker has already seen the report, which is expected to be made public Thursday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Microsoft told a U.S. judge that the company is willing to extend its existing program for licensing Windows communication protocols to rivals--a move one observer said was aimed primarily at bolstering its case in Europe.

Last month, the European Union imposed a record $613 million fine on Microsoft. It also ordered the company to share more of its technology with competitors and ship a version of its Windows operating system without a media player. The text set for release Thursday is expected to go into more detail on the mechanics of the ruling and how European regulators reached their decision.

In its detailed response to the EU action on Wednesday, Microsoft tried to cast the ruling as one that will stifle creativity at Microsoft and beyond.

"We live in a world in which most products result from combining a variety of individual components. Indeed, product innovation results in no small measure from such integration," Microsoft said. "The decision opens the door to intrusive regulation of product design--not to mention a record fine--based on a complaint by a single component supplier, even when this integration is the market norm and other suppliers continue to grow. Such a result, if allowed to stand, would almost certainly spell bad news for the European and global economies."

[wrwjpn]

Surprise!!

MS of course wants people to believe whatever they say. Yes
they say innovation will be limited, but I think security will
increase. They have to think things through before integrating
(bundling) new features into the OS. Others don't bundle but yet
things work well together. The point is that locking out or
making other products less compatible is the EU's point. Why
does the US government get involved, because they recieve lots
of $$ from MS during campaigns. This is election year, also lots
of tech jobs ahve disappeared, so this is a political point for the
election. Let's get over it and think what really is best for the
industry. Security not another feature that will make MS or just
the PC makers more money, but make the average user (office or
home) more safe as well as more productive. I want a PC that
lets me decide what I what I want and don't want. Freedom of
choice is the true American way and dream. Obvious MS doesn't
believe in it even though the promote it.

[dmanrique]

More nonesense...

Does Apple bundle all kind of bits in their OS installation? How the heck did Linux get this far? Bundling! Every offering of Linux includes all kind of junk, from browsers, to editors, to programming languages, to databases, and now whole productivity suites. Ah, you say, they are not all from the Linux flavor of the month you say. So frikkin what.

Can you, or can you not, buy on a cd, or download whatever the hell you want and load it on your machine? Yes.

So when I buy my next BMW, since it's parts are made by BMW, that stifles the BMW aftermarket suppliers and should sue BMW? EU should shut the hell up, and quit listening to inferior producers of product.

It is very simple really, if you don't like Windows, buy a Mac, buy the Flavor of the month of Linux, buy a SGI, buy a Sun box, but for god sake, quit your whining.

EU & Microsoft suit

This is another attack on US business by the EU. Ity is apparent that the EU would like to bankrupt Microsoft, because of it's (Microsoft)sucess in the software field.

Re: EU & Microsoft suit

Could it possibly be that Microsoft is a company that is very, very dominant in its position and this has lead to multiple abuses against people across the world? And trust me, if the EU wanted to bankrupt Microsoft, it would take a lot more than a $600 million fine.

[HughT]

Microsoft comedy

It is a real laugh to hear Microsft worrying about stifling creativity and innovation. Talk about the pot calling the kettel black. They wrote the book on stifling competition and creativity. Nothing will do that faster than the monopoly they have created to ensure their right to overcharge for faulty products while continually intruding into the lives and privacy of their clients. Sooner or later there will be a viable alternative to their operating system and then their days will be numbered. Meanwhile let the US government support them. Perhaps the US voters will wake up and notice that they are the greatest victims of this conspiracy between government and corporate giants like Microsoft

[tenchidbz]

Hey buddy,

Ur dumb, MS Sux, And ur a Slave!

[kf5er]

Microsoft vs EU

Microsoft should simply tell the EU to shove it!
The EU is not going to prohibit the sale of
Windows or any other Microsoft product. All of
this is due to one or two software developers that
want to take advantage of MS. The EU is like the
UN - Useless!