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<html newsdate="2010-02-22">
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	  <title>FSFE to users: Seize your freedom of choice!</title>
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    <h1>FSFE to users: Seize your freedom of choice!</h1>
    <h2>FSFE welcomes greater competition in European browser market</h2>

    <p newsteaser="yes">
      FSFE welcomes the arrival of greater competition in the web browser
      market. From today, Microsoft has to offer Windows users in Europe the
      possibility to choose among different browsers. This step puts into
      practice the company's settlement with the European Commission from
      December 2009. The Free Software Foundation Europe was an active
      participant in the Commission's investigation.
    </p>

   <p>
     "For the first time, Microsoft has been forced to offer all users a choice
     among different web browsers," says FSFE's President Karsten Gerloff. "This
     is a stop sign for the company's strategy of extending its near-monopoly in
     desktop operating systems to other markets."
   </p>
   <p> 
     FSFE is fighting for freedom of choice and Open Standards. Microsoft's own
     Internet Explorer browsers do not interpret web standards correctly. The
     company's near-monopoly on the desktop has meant that web designers have
     often catered to Microsoft users only, leaving users of rival browsers to
     deal with broken pages.
   </p>
   <p>
     "Microsoft has gained its dominant position in the browser market by
     violating its consent decree with the US competition authorities. The
     problem we are trying to fix here wouldn't exist if Microsoft had complied
     with the laws," says FSFE's Legal Counsel Carlo Piana. "It is no
     coincidence that we have recently seen more competition among browsers,
     after years where there was no innovation and a total lack of investment by
     Microsoft."
   </p>
   <p>  
     It is now up to the users to take advantage of the choice they are offered.
     Gerloff reminds the EC that it will constantly need to monitor the success
     of the 'ballot screen'. "Microsoft is a convicted monopolist and has broken
     countless promises in the past," he says. "We urge the European Commission
     to keep a sharp eye on how well this measure plays out in practice."
   </p> 
   <p> 
     The 'ballot screen' is currently limited to Europe. "We call on competition
     authorities around the world to take a cue from the EC's good work in this
     case. The effect on competition and standards compliance would be much
     greater if users were offered a choice everywhere", says FSFE's Legal
     Counsel Carlo Piana. 
   </p>
   <p>  
     It remains to be seen how the 'ballot screen' will improve competition in
     the market for web browsers. FSFE is equally concerned about the lack of
     interoperability between Microsoft's products and Free Software
     competitors, and the company's practice of bundling its operating system
     with consumer hardware.
   </p>

   <h3>Background:</h3>
   
   <p>  
     The initial complaint about Microsoft's abuse of its dominant position in
     the web browser market was brought by Opera. FSFE has supported the
     investigation as an interested third party, providing feedback and helping
     to shape the measures imposed by the European Commission.
   </p>
   <p>
     The settlement on web browsers is only the latest among several European
     Commission investigations into Microsoft's anticompetitive behaviour. The
     most famous among these actions -- where <a
     href="http://fsfe.org/activities/ms-vs-eu/ms-vs-eu.en.html">FSFE was a key
     player</a> -- concerned the workgroup server operating system market. Also
     known as the Samba case, it ended with a landmark decision in 2007 by the
     European Court of Justice. Microsoft was forced to disclose
     interoperability information that it had illegaly withheld from
     competitors.
   </p>
   <p>
     On the same day that the ballot screen was announced, Microsoft also
     promised to disclose interoperability information for a number of its
     products, such as Windows Server, Microsoft Office, Exchange and
     SharePoint. Here, an investigation by the European Commission is still
     ongoing.
   </p>
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