70 lines
2.1 KiB
HTML
70 lines
2.1 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
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<html newsdate="2009-10-06">
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<version>1</version>
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<head>
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<title>
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Microsoft antitrust case: FSFE offers analysis to European Commission
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</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1>Microsoft antitrust case: FSFE offers analysis to European Commission</h1>
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<p>
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The European Commission is on the verge of settling two antitrust
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cases against Microsoft. The details of this settlement will determine
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how much competition there can be in Europe's software market for
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years to come.
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</p>
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<p>
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The Free Software Foundation Europe has analysed the most important
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elements that a settlement should contain to allow real competition in
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the European software market. It has summarised those key points in a
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letter sent to Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="/news/2009/news-20091005-01.html">Open letter to Commissioner Kroes</a></li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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Kroes is looking at Microsoft's practice of tying its Internet
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Explorer browser to its Windows operating systems, excluding rival
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browser makers. She is also trying to persuade Microsoft to release
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enough information so that competitors can make their desktop software
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work with the company's dominant operating system. This is something
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that Microsoft has refused to do in the past.
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</p>
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<p>
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FSFE believes that a settlement on the browser case needs to put rival
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browsers on an equal footing with Microsoft's Internet Explorer by
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pre-installing them. Fast-growing browsers need to be included in an
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unbiased selection screen.
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</p>
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<p>
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For desktop applications, FSFE argues that the software monopolist
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must release interoperability information in such a way that it can be
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used in Free Software. The company must also make a binding commitment
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not to enforce its patents against Free Software. That would prevent
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Microsoft from using Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) to keep rivals
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from making use of the information.
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</p>
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</body>
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<tags>
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<tag key="policy"/>
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<tag key="european-commission">European Commission</tag>
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<tag key="microsoft"/>
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<tag key="antitrust"/>
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</tags>
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</html>
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