Microsoft Fined £484M

[jesusbuiltmycar]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21684329

bbc said:

In theory the watchdog could have fined the firm 10% of its global annual revenue, which would have totalled $7.4bn based on its 2012 report.

bbc said:

The case dates back to 2007 when Opera - a Norwegian web-browser maker - complained Microsoft was stifling competition on PCs by bundling Internet Explorer with its operating system.

How do Apple get away with having complete control over their machines? How have Apple escaped similar anti-trust law suites?

[Cyder]

Hold on, isn't this the same as an engine builder (Cosworth/Millington/Ilmor) complaining that OEM's only offer new cars with their own engine?

[MX7]

I think the EU see MS as a cash cow.

If you don't want IE, don't use it.

[0000]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

How do Apple get away with having complete control over their machines? How have Apple escaped similar anti-trust law suites?

NAL, but I suspect it's for (ab)use of a monopoly that is where Microsoft have had their wrist slapped.

[Regiment]

I presume Microsoft have the big market share, especially amongst businesses, that the EU pick on them.

[Jasandjules]

The issue tends to be around the abuse of a dominant position. If you do not have a dominant position in the market then you are not able to abuse it....

[anonymous-user]

shakedown.

[Robb F]

That is amazing. A manufacturer being fined for not advertising other manufacturers products?

I should sue Ford for not offering me a Sparco steering wheel with my Fiesta.

[anonymous-user]

Robb F said:

A manufacturer being fined for not advertising other manufacturers products?

i thought the fine was for having lots of cash and not being very popular

[Fittster]

After Windows 8 fk 'em

[MintyChris]

You have to laugh though...does seem a very strange move to force a manufacturer of a product to advertise that there are other products available instead of its own.

[Derek Smith]

The conduct of MS during the browser wars was despicable. They bought out their only competition and then were going to charge for IE, despite it being inferior to the free one they stopped us being able to use. It is an abuse of a monopoly position. If it has been any company other than an American one the yanks would have been up in arms about it and they would have ruined the company. If anything the EU has been 'generous' towards MS.

Their commercial morality was not, shall we say, everything it could have been.

We now have a choice of browser. It is only those who haven't tried the opposition who stick with IE. Had it not been for the opposition IE would be as bad as Windows. Now, because there are others, they have to up their game and compete. Vista level browsing has been avoided. Good on the EU.

Jut think what operating systems might be like nowadays if MS hadn't had a virtual monopoly.

[Robb F]

Derek Smith said:

The conduct of MS during the browser wars was despicable. They bought out their only competition and then were going to charge for IE, despite it being inferior to the free one they stopped us being able to use.

Their only competitor for browsers?

[Carfolio]

MX7 said:

I think the EU see MS as a cash cow.

If you don't want IE, don't use it.

Bullst.

[BliarOut]

Derek Smith said:

The conduct of MS during the browser wars was despicable. They bought out their only competition and then were going to charge for IE, despite it being inferior to the free one they stopped us being able to use. It is an abuse of a monopoly position. If it has been any company other than an American one the yanks would have been up in arms about it and they would have ruined the company. If anything the EU has been 'generous' towards MS.

Their commercial morality was not, shall we say, everything it could have been.

We now have a choice of browser. It is only those who haven't tried the opposition who stick with IE. Had it not been for the opposition IE would be as bad as Windows. Now, because there are others, they have to up their game and compete. Vista level browsing has been avoided. Good on the EU.

Jut think what operating systems might be like nowadays if MS hadn't had a virtual monopoly.

IE6. That is all.

Well actually it isn't, that pile of ste has caused more hours of development fudging than any other single browser. We're finally getting standards compliant browsers no thanks to MS.

[0000]

Robb F said:

That is amazing. A manufacturer being fined for not advertising other manufacturers products?

I should sue Ford for not offering me a Sparco steering wheel with my Fiesta.

It's just like that, if this list only had Ford, Westfield and a bloke with a shed - with Ford's market share expanded to fill all the other brands - and rather than a steering wheel they gave you a Ford washing machine which only worked with Ford branded pipework, which wouldn't work with any other washing machine brand. And if anyone else tried creating an alternative they'd hit them with lawyers or buy them out.

[MX7]

Carfolio said:

MX7 said:

I think the EU see MS as a cash cow.

If you don't want IE, don't use it.

Bullst.

I would ask you to expand on this, but I feel that it would just be a waste of everyone's time.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

Do Apple bundle their browser with MAC OS?

[crankedup]

MX7 said:

Carfolio said:

MX7 said:

I think the EU see MS as a cash cow.

If you don't want IE, don't use it.

Bullst.

I would ask you to expand on this, but I feel that it would just be a waste of everyone's time.

Expansion : very runny bullst now forming a crust your right, it is a waste of time.

[0000]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

Do Apple bundle their browser with MAC OS?

Yes.

But they aren't using an operating system monopoly to influence the browser market.