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February 27, 2008

legal

Microsoft fined 899 million Euros for crimes against humanity (or antitrust violations)

Posted Feb. 27, ’08, 8:01 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Legal

Neelie KroesThe problem with having more money than god is that everybody wants a piece of it. So Microsoft has been discovering for the last several years. Now the European Commission has bellied up to the bar once again, laying down a hefty €899 million on Microsoft’s tab. The charge? Non-compliance with the 2004 antitrust decision handed down against the company. This on top of previous fines brings the total in Microsoft’s debit column to €1.7 billion, equivalent to $2.5 billion in increasingly Monopoly-like US dollars. Which, you know, might hurt more if they hadn’t made, oh, $51 billion last year alone.

European Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes—last seen in these pages refusing to take action against iTunes, a fact that will surely get her pegged by fellow EU commissioners as an Apple fanboy—said that “the Commission’s latest fine is a reasonable response to unreasonable actions by Microsoft.” That’s right, Microsoft—you’re grounded for two whole days for setting Old Man Johnson’s house on fire. That seems about right.

The compliance issues mainly focus on Microsoft’s failure to license its protocols to open source developers at a “reasonable” price. Just last week, the company said it would take steps to make its technology more accessible to open source developers—which we took to mean that Microsoft would drop its long-standing practice of sticking its fingers in its ears while loudly singing “I can’t heeeeeear you” whenever approached by the open source movement. To that claim EU Commissioner Kroes responded—and we’re paraphrasing—“Cha, right.”


4 Comments

WorldDomination said:

It would be cheaper for Microsoft to pay for US military invasion of Europe so it won't have to deal with EU commission anymore. Ha, ha.

February 27, 2008 8:22 AM
Dave-O said:

$51 billion? I think that's revenue, not profit.

$2.5 billion ain't bad. Maybe the Bush administration should sue. That's like 10 days in Iraq.

February 27, 2008 2:37 PM
Dan Moren Author Profile Page said:

True. But their net was over $14 billion. Which, admittedly, makes it a higher percentage, but they've still got it covered.

February 27, 2008 2:44 PM
Dave-O said:

I don't doubt that they have it covered, but consider that the Supreme Court may lower or eliminate a $2.9 billion fine against Exxon (for the Exxon Valdez disaster). Exxon makes Microsoft's annual earnings in one quarter.

February 27, 2008 6:44 PM

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