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Re: Commission imposes penalty payment of euro280.5 million on Microsoft for continued non-compliance with March 2004 Decision

  • Subject: Re: Commission imposes penalty payment of euro280.5 million on Microsoft for continued non-compliance with March 2004 Decision
  • From: Mark Kent <mark.kent@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:04:45 +0100
  • Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
  • References: <1152699415.114198.239640@s13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> <asOdnXGgXd2kRynZnZ2dnUVZ_sSdnZ2d@comcast.com> <5341731.MazvoGMXM3@schestowitz.com> <n25go3-ctj.ln1@ellandroad.demon.co.uk> <28130255.Mo1HOrMciS@schestowitz.com>
  • User-agent: slrn/0.9.7.4 (Linux)
  • Xref: news.mcc.ac.uk comp.os.linux.advocacy:1128214
begin  oe_protect.scr 
Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
> __/ [ Mark Kent ] on Wednesday 12 July 2006 22:10 \__
> 
>> begin  oe_protect.scr
>> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>>> __/ [ Linonut ] on Wednesday 12 July 2006 12:17 \__
>>> 
>>>> After takin' a swig o' grog, nessuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx belched out this
>>>> bit o' wisdom:
>>>> 
>>>>> IP/04/382). That Decision found that Microsoft had abused its dominant
>>>>> position under Article 82 EC, and required Microsoft to disclose
>>>>> complete and accurate interface documentation which would allow
>>>>> non-Microsoft work group servers to achieve full interoperability with
>>>>> Windows PCs and servers. Today's Decision, adopted under Article
>>>>> 24(2) of Regulation 1/2003, finds that Microsoft has not fulfilled this
>>>>> obligation. Should Microsoft continue to fail to comply, the Decision
>>>>> also increases the amount of the daily penalty payment to which
>>>>> Microsoft could be subject to euro3 million per day.
>>>> 
>>>> Like, how will they collect?
>>> 
>>> No software coupons, please. No purses with lipstick, either. I am more
>>> curious about how the money is returned, divided, distributed, and/or
>>> invested (among industry, as well as EU nations). Maybe they should use
>>> the money to <sarcasm>sponsor some counter-Microsoft Munchkins
>>> or</sarcasm> compensate companies that were affected. But how???
>>> Additionally, without eventual compliance, it's a toothless tiger penalty.
>> 
>> It sends an important signal to MS and everyone else, I think, but as
>> you say, the key thing is actually getting the hard cash from MS.  You
>> can't redistribute the cash, it must go into EU coffers - anything else
>> would look too much like corruption, be that the intention on not.
>> 
>> Were I the commissioner, I would simply continue to increase the daily
>> fine, perhaps 1million per day every week, until MS decided that it be
>> too expensive, and chose to comply with the requirement instead.  I do
>> harbour the suspicion that without employing the samba team, MS will
>> find it very difficult to comply, as I suspect that they lack the
>> technical capability.
> 
> If the priority is to get them to comply (which it is!), don't even increase
> it linearly. First month - 3m per day; second month: 6m per day; third
> month: 12m; forth: 24m...
> 
> At some stage, given enough time, they will comply or file for bankruptcy (or
> simply retract all business from the EU).
> 

I'm sure MS are hoping that the EU will cave if they threaten to
withdraw from the market.  Personally, I think it would be great fun if
they did - can you imagine what would happen to the MS shareprice?

-- 
| Mark Kent   --   mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk  |
One of the disadvantages of having children is that they eventually get old
enough to give you presents they make at school.
		-- Robert Byrne

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