Microsoft hit with 280m euro fine

[MacNub]

Microsoft hit with 280m euro fine​

Microsoft has been fined 280.5m euros ($357m; £194m) by the European Commission for failing to comply with an anti-competition ruling.

The software giant was hit by the fine following a long-running dispute between the US firm and EU regulators.

The move follows a landmark EU ruling in 2004, which ordered Microsoft to provide rivals with information about its Windows operating system.

EU regulators also warned Microsoft it could face new fines of 3m euros a day.

The daily fines will come into force from 31 July if Microsoft fails to supply "complete and accurate" technical information to rival developers, the EU said.

Microsoft has insisted it is meeting the Commission's demands, and says it expects to deliver the final bundle of information for use by rival software firms by 18 July.

'Illegal conduct'

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said she had "no alternative but to levy penalty payments" against Microsoft, adding that "no company is above the law".

"I regret that, more than two years after the decision... Microsoft has still not put an end to its illegal conduct," Ms Kroes said.

Brussels had warned Microsoft in December that it would face fines of 2m euros a day if the firm failed to meet the Commission's demands.

Under the 2004 ruling, Microsoft was told to provide rival firms with more information about its software, in order to enable them to write programs that could run more smoothly on Microsoft's widely-used Windows operating system.

The judgment also called for Microsoft to debundle its Windows Media Player from its Windows operating system, and slapped the software firm with a record fine of 497m euros.

BBC Business News

What do you think about the whole EU vs MS thing?
Btw. this made me laught: "...Microsoft was told to provide rival firms with more information about its software, in order to enable them to write programs that could run more smoothly on Microsoft's widely-used Windows ..."
I guess providing more information about windows won't be enough

 

[mcadam]

I think they should hit them and hit them hard. I'm sorry, but I can't help a bit of shadenfreude when things goes wrog for ms. Besides - if they have been ignoring the decision for 2 years the EU has do do something like this if they want to be taken seriously.

A

 

[2ndPath]

While this is a huge sum to pay, it does not really hurt microsoft having a few tens of billions in the bank. If they make business using their "illegal conduct" in the EU for 2 billion a year, then having to pay 1 billion a year still leaves 1 billion in profit. These numbers are only rough guesses, but by repeatedly fining MS by the amounts quoted in the text, they will at least react and try adjust their conduct, which might help some of the compeditors.

 

[JFreak]

Microsoft must now begin to play nice, finally.

 

[JFreak]

While this is a huge sum to pay, it does not really hurt microsoft having a few tens of billions in the bank. If they make business using their "illegal conduct" in the EU for 2 billion a year, then having to pay 1 billion a year still leaves 1 billion in profit. These numbers are only rough guesses, but by repeatedly fining MS by the amounts quoted in the text, they will at least react and try adjust their conduct, which might help some of the compeditors.

This is a good beginning and a win-win situation. If Microsoft does play nice after such fines, then great. But if they don't, then EU just fines more and more every time until they do (and make Microsoft make profit for EU in the process).

If EU wanted to "hurt" Microsoft, it would have stated that selling or buying Microsoft's products become illegal until they comply.

 

[PlaceofDis]

Microsoft must now begin to play nice, finally.

or at least attempt to look as if they are playing nice. this is MS we're talking about.