EU Harassment of Microsoft Continues

[onedomino]

Now MS should get at least a month off until the EU Politburo in Brussels files the next anti-American lawsuit and needlessly wastes even more money.

Microsoft Yields in Brussels Case
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: January 25, 2005

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/25/technology/25soft.html

BRUSSELS, Jan. 24 - Microsoft said Monday that it would not appeal a court ruling last month that requires the company to sell in Europe a version of its Windows operating system without its media-playing software.

"Microsoft has decided to forgo its right to appeal," the company said in a statement. The new version of Windows is already available to personal computer makers, and retail customers will be able to buy it in coming weeks.

The Court of First Instance, Europe's second-highest court, dismissed Microsoft's request last month to suspend the order while the company appealed an antitrust ruling by the European Commission last March.

In that ruling, the commission also ordered Microsoft to disclose more Windows code to allow rival software makers to develop programs that work as well with Windows as Microsoft's own programs. More than 95 percent of all PC's worldwide use Windows.

Microsoft said it would continue to appeal the antitrust ruling, which could take several years.

Meanwhile, in a related case...

Auto Makers Forced To Unbundle Stereo from Vehicles
Satire By Jeremy Mikesell

http://www.bbspot.com/News/2005/01/car_stereos.html

Detroit, MI – A ruling today by the Michigan Supreme Court will force Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen to stop installing stereos in vehicles sold in the US by the end of January 2005.

The antitrust suit filed by Sony against the automakers claimed the manufacturers use their monopoly in the automobile market to lock out third-party suppliers of car stereos. The suit also claimed that automakers engineered their cars to make use of alternate stereos difficult or impractical. The sole reason for this is to prevent users from switching to an aftermarket stereo.

John McNeal lead counsel for the automakers had this to say about the ruling and possible appeals. "There are still several arguments in this case that will need to be weighed seriously and we feel that our odds in the appeals process look good. For the sake of the consumer we can only hope that this decision is reversed quickly."

Many in the industry feel the biggest winners are the makers of aftermarket car audio equipment and companies specializing in installing stereos. New cars will no longer be able to play any form of media as shipped, so consumers wishing to listen to the radio or CD's will be forced to have a stereo installed.

"This is a great decision for the industry and the consumer. No longer will consumers be forced to use the inadequate and seamlessly integrated stereos provided by the automakers," said Michel Tso representative for Sony. "The consumer will only see benefits from this. They will now have limitless options for a stereo and will not be forced to pay for a stereo they don't want."

McNeal counters that this ruling will result in an increase in the base price of all cars of about $1000 for the next five years. "While our cost for the stereo itself is only $15 the cost of retooling production facilities to meet the requirements of this ruling will be staggering. We have no choice but to pass these costs onto the consumer."

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[wolvie20m]

Thats sad Microsoft has to go and give away thier trade secrets.

Now on the stereo matter thast BS!!! I personally know car stereos like the back of my hand. To install an aftermarket stereo (which ussualy is better) all you need is a 30$ plastic piece that fits your certian car. This is simply a way to force you to buy aftermarket though, and thats just not right! Yet I guess it doesn't really affect me I'm the kid you yell at to turn THAT DAMN BASS DOWN!!! and I already have the best aftermarket CD/DVD player, amp kit, amps, subwoofers, crossfader, and equalizer not much else I can buy...

 

[onedomino]

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Wolvie, the bit about the car stereo was SATIRE...a joke. To point how it makes no sense to do an analogous thing to MS in real life.
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[theim]

"In that ruling, the commission also ordered Microsoft to disclose more Windows code to allow rival software makers to develop programs that work as well with Windows as Microsoft's own programs."

W....T....F?

If I were running MS I would just say screw Europe and not sell anything else to them. Let em all try and convert everything to Macs in a week.

I wonder how they can tolerate such socialist BS. "Well, this softwarre developer sucks and makes really crappy shit that no one wants....and you make really good stuff...so give your code to that guy."

 

[wolvie20m]

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Wolvie, the bit about the car stereo was SATIRE...a joke. To point how it makes no sense to do an analogous thing to MS in real life.
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Well don't I feel stupid now....

 

[drlin]

Now MS should get at least a month off until the EU Politburo in Brussels files the next anti-American lawsuit and needlessly wastes even more money.-

pointless thread... if you were not so interested in finding a thread to attack the french population, you would know that more than a dozen states in the US filed charges a few years ago against Microsoft for the same reasons....

if you buy a car, you don't want the dealer to tell you that you HAVE to take and pay for needless options likes GPS, big speakers, multi-cd players, and others ??

and why don't you talk about the Japanese, the Chinese, and the British who also filed charges against Microsoft?

As for the money, what do you care? it's not yours....

 

[onedomino]

pointless thread... if you were not so interested in finding a thread to attack the french population, you would know that more than a dozen states in the US filed charges a few years ago against Microsoft for the same reasons....

if you buy a car, you don't want the dealer to tell you that you HAVE to take and pay for needless options likes GPS, big speakers, multi-cd players, and others ??

and why don't you talk about the Japanese, the Chinese, and the British who also filed charges against Microsoft?

As for the money, what do you care? it's not yours....

The money is mine. I own MS stock. Who said anything about the French population? Have trouble reading? With the hostile tone of your response, it is not surprising that you think a thread about the EU equals an attack on the French. Paranoid? Or justified fear?
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[drlin]

The money is mine. I own MS stock.
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Good point....

Who said anything about the French population? Have trouble reading? With the hostile tone of your response, it is not surprising that you think a thread about the EU equals an attack on the French. Paranoid? Or justified fear?
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I don't really care who you "attack", couldn't care less, but seing the previous posts about the EU, seems like US people take France as the capital of the EU, and that the French are responsible for all the bad things happenning in and around the EU... (unless I'm wrong)

 

[drlin]

Nah, most here are down on the french becuase of their shady dealing with Iraq and their lack of support in that department as well. For the most part the french are welcome here so long as they don't come on with the "where better" mentality.

no-one is better than anyone else

anyone that says else, is crazy...

 

[Johnney]

no-one is better than anyone else

anyone that says else, is crazy...

i am... better than everyone else <i>and</i> crazy

 

[no1tovote4]

no-one is better than anyone else

anyone that says else, is crazy...

This is one of those statements that I always wonder about. Nobody is of higher worth than another, but clearly some people are better than others at many things.

Kasparov is better than I at Chess. It doesn't make him worth more but he is definitely better. Einstein was better at math than I will ever be... You can see where this is going...

To say that everybody is always the same isn't clearly defining your statement. In what way is everybody equal?

 

[drlin]

This is one of those statements that I always wonder about. Nobody is of higher worth than another, but clearly some people are better than others at many things.

Kasparov is better than I at Chess. It doesn't make him worth more but he is definitely better. Einstein was better at math than I will ever be... You can see where this is going...

Of course, but that is different, that is called knowledge...

To say that everybody is always the same isn't clearly defining your statement. In what way is everybody equal?

no-one is the same, we are all different, but you can't say that someone is better than someone else. you can say he has better knowledge, or can do things better than someone else, but he is not better in all because of it...

 

[onedomino]

The EU Brussels Commissars continue their aggression against Microsoft:

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,119505,00.asp

The European Commission is battling to ensure that a new, "reduced" version of Microsoft's Windows operating system will appear palatable to customers, but its efforts may be in vain: Most of Europe's biggest PC makers say they don't plan to offer the software anyway.

In the latest twist, the Commission on Monday was said to be concerned about certain messages that appear when users install the new Windows release, which comes without Microsoft's Windows Media Player software. The dialogue boxes apparently warn users that they won't be able to access certain Web sites or view some types of content with the operating system.

The Commission is keen to prevent Microsoft from doing anything that would make customers less willing to buy the new Windows release, which the Commission hopes will create a more level playing field in the media player market. The Commission has already rejected Microsoft's suggestion that it call the software "Reduced Media Edition," Microsoft confirmed last week.

The two sides are in talks over the outstanding issues and expect to resolve them in the coming weeks, a Commission spokesperson says. If the Commission is not satisfied that Microsoft is complying fully with its ruling it has the option to impose penalty payments equal to 5 percent of Microsoft's daily turnover, the spokesperson says.

"They must not make the unbundled version of Windows any less attractive [than the standard version]," he says. Yes, Commissar!

Let's see the hypocritical EU Commissars unbundle the Euro-taxpayer from Airbus!
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[no1tovote4]

Of course, but that is different, that is called knowledge...



no-one is the same, we are all different, but you can't say that someone is better than someone else. you can say he has better knowledge, or can do things better than someone else, but he is not better in all because of it...

My point exactly. Be clear in your definitions as your first post did not make that clear.

 

[onedomino]

March 19, 2005
Microsoft Faces [EU] Fines of up to $5m a Day
By Joe Bolger

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8209-1531749,00.html

MICROSOFT is facing the prospect of multimillion-dollar daily fines if it fails to satisfy European concerns over the continuing abuse of its dominant market position.

The European Commission revealed yesterday that it could fine the company 5 per cent of its daily global turnover — which would be about $5 million (£2.6 million) — if it failed to comply with orders designed to improve competition in the servers market. (WTF!!? It's always a great economic policy to punish market success. The EU Politburo is telling market dominant MS that it must improve competition in the server market. That is, it must give way to it competitors. That's like telling Airbus that it must make Boeing more competitive. Absolutely absurd. This is EU harassment of a successful American software company. Google will be next. The French are already complaining about Google's market dominance. EU companies are shunned by their own consumers and MS has to pay the price. EU Politburo socialism at its finest!)

On Thursday, the Commission wrote to Microsoft accusing it of failing to adequately help rivals to understand how Microsoft systems work.

The company was forced to share the “blueprints” of its software with rivals last March after the Commission found that it had abused its position in the software market.

The ruling, designed to help competitors to interact with Microsoft-powered products, also forced the company to offer versions of its Windows operating system without its Windows Media Player software.

Four months ago Microsoft failed in its attempt to delay implementation of the orders pending an appeal of the original ruling. It will persevere with its appeal.

The company pledged to make information available to rivals and decouple its Windows Media Player from some versions of Windows.

But the Commission said yesterday that after discussions with key players in the software market, it had “strong doubts” about Microsoft’s compliance with the order.

Microsoft set up a website to enable interested parties to buy a licence to gain access to information on its methods. A spokesman for the commission said that the company had not provided enough technical information to enable potential licensees to decide whether buying a licence would be worthwhile.

It also said that the level of royalties charged by Microsoft for the information appeared to be unjustified. (That's it EU. Price fixing is wise economic policy. No wonder the economies of France and Germany are basketcases, with the highest levels of unemployment since WW2.) The Commission spokesman said: “The ball is now in their court. We expect them to come back to us in the next few weeks.”

A spokesman for Microsoft, which is chaired by Bill Gates, said that the group would “respond promptly” to the commission’s request and work through the proposals with the body. “The fundamental point is that we are fully committed to comply with the Commission’s decision,” he said.

The company will now put together a response to the commission’s feedback.

If the Commission remains dissatisfied with the moves taken by the software group, it can lay out a statement of formal objections and instigate a process to implement fines.

Microsoft reported full-year revenues of $36.8 billion in the year to last June, equivalent to about $100 million a day.

Any fines imposed on the group would come on top of a record €497 million fine levied last March, alongside the commission’s ruling, for abusing its dominant position in the software market.

The Commission has also been testing the implementation of the order that Microsoft should offer versions of its Windows software without Windows Media Player.

The results of the commission’s survey are being analysed.

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[onedomino]

Frankly (no pun intended), it would be fine to see AFP stuff deleted from the Google news site. Its a brilliant AFP strategy to deepen the obscurity of French influence.

Agence France Presse Sues Google Over News Site

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?id=2005031817020002565938&dt=20050318170200&w=RTR&coview

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Agence France Presse has sued Google Inc. (GOOG), alleging the Web search leader includes AFP's photos, news headlines and stories on its news site without permission.

The French news service is seeking damages of at least $17.5 million and an order barring Google News from displaying AFP photographs, news headlines or story leads, according to the suit filed on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Google was not immediately available for comment. AFP's lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment on the suit.

AFP sells subscriptions to its content and does not provide it free. Google News gathers photos and news stories from around the Web and posts them on its news site, which is free to users.

"Without AFP's authorization, defendant is continuously and willfully reproducing and publicly displaying AFP's photographs, headlines and story leads on its Google News web pages," AFP charged in its lawsuit.

AFP said it has informed Google that it is not authorized to use AFP's copyrighted material as it does and has asked Google to cease and desist from infringing its copyrighted work.

AFP alleged that Google has ignored such requests and as of the filing date of the lawsuit "continues in an unabated manner to violate AFP's copyrights."

 

[theim]

"On Thursday, the Commission wrote to Microsoft accusing it of failing to adequately help rivals to understand how Microsoft systems work."

w....t....f....

 

[onedomino]

As France slips further into obscurity...

Google removing Agence France Presse from Google News
Agency had previously sued search engine provider
By Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service
March 21, 2005

http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/03/21/HNgoogleremoves_1.html

Google is in the process of removing French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) from its Google News service, which aggregates links to online articles and accompanying photos from about 4,500 news outlets.

Google's decision is a direct reaction to a lawsuit AFP filed against the search engine provider alleging copyright infringement over the inclusion of AFP content in Google News, said Steve Langdon, a Google spokesman, on Monday.

Google doesn't have a timetable for when all AFP links and content will be removed from Google News, but the company is actively working on the matter, Langdon said.

"We allow publishers to opt out of Google News. Most, however, want to be included in Google News because they believe it's a benefit to them and their readers," Langdon added, reading from a prepared statement.

AFP sued Mountain View, California-based Google in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday of last week. The news agency is seeking to recover damages of at least $17.5 million from Google. AFP also asks the court to forbid Google from including its content in Google News.

An AFP spokesman in the agency's North America headquarters in Washington, D.C., declined to comment on the lawsuit

 

[theim]

What the hell is it with these people?! Were they in a coma throughout the Cold War? Have they just plain not noticed that every socialist government founded on equality for the proletariqt seems to devolve into an autocratic dictatorship?! Have hey just plain not noticed that the world's only superpower is one of the most capitalistic nations on earth? And that the socialist governments of Europe are (SURPRISE) facing economic collapse akin to the USSR?!

In the words of the bad guy in Zoolander: I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!!

 

[manu1959]

gates should say fine..... no problem....no soft ware for you...next!