100 lines
4.3 KiB
HTML
100 lines
4.3 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
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<html newsdate="2010-02-22">
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<version>1</version>
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<head>
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<title>FSFE to users: Seize your freedom of choice!</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1>FSFE to users: Seize your freedom of choice!</h1>
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<h2>FSFE welcomes greater competition in European browser market</h2>
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<p>
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FSFE welcomes the arrival of greater competition in the web browser
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market. From today, Microsoft has to offer Windows users in Europe the
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possibility to choose among different browsers. This step puts into
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practice the company's settlement with the European Commission from
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December 2009. The Free Software Foundation Europe was an active
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participant in the Commission's investigation.
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</p>
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<p>
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"For the first time, Microsoft has been forced to offer all users a choice
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among different web browsers," says FSFE's President Karsten Gerloff. "This
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is a stop sign for the company's strategy of extending its near-monopoly in
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desktop operating systems to other markets."
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</p>
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<p>
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FSFE is fighting for freedom of choice and Open Standards. Microsoft's own
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Internet Explorer browsers do not interpret web standards correctly. The
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company's near-monopoly on the desktop has meant that web designers have
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often catered to Microsoft users only, leaving users of rival browsers to
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deal with broken pages.
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</p>
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<p>
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"Microsoft has gained its dominant position in the browser market by
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violating its consent decree with the US competition authorities. The
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problem we are trying to fix here wouldn't exist if Microsoft had complied
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with the laws," says FSFE's Legal Counsel Carlo Piana. "It is no
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coincidence that we have recently seen more competition among browsers,
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after years where there was no innovation and a total lack of investment by
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Microsoft."
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</p>
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<p>
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It is now up to the users to take advantage of the choice they are offered.
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Gerloff reminds the EC that it will constantly need to monitor the success
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of the 'ballot screen'. "Microsoft is a convicted monopolist and has broken
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countless promises in the past," he says. "We urge the European Commission
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to keep a sharp eye on how well this measure plays out in practice."
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</p>
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<p>
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The 'ballot screen' is currently limited to Europe. "We call on competition
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authorities around the world to take a cue from the EC's good work in this
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case. The effect on competition and standards compliance would be much
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greater if users were offered a choice everywhere", says FSFE's Legal
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Counsel Carlo Piana.
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</p>
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<p>
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It remains to be seen how the 'ballot screen' will improve competition in
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the market for web browsers. FSFE is equally concerned about the lack of
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interoperability between Microsoft's products and Free Software
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competitors, and the company's practice of bundling its operating system
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with consumer hardware.
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</p>
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<h3>Background:</h3>
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<p>
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The initial complaint about Microsoft's abuse of its dominant position in
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the web browser market was brought by Opera. FSFE has supported the
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investigation as an interested third party, providing feedback and helping
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to shape the measures imposed by the European Commission.
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</p>
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<p>
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The settlement on web browsers is only the latest among several European
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Commission investigations into Microsoft's anticompetitive behaviour. The
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most famous among these actions -- where <a
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href="/activities/ms-vs-eu/ms-vs-eu.html">FSFE was a key
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player</a> -- concerned the workgroup server operating system market. Also
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known as the Samba case, it ended with a landmark decision in 2007 by the
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European Court of Justice. Microsoft was forced to disclose
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interoperability information that it had illegaly withheld from
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competitors.
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</p>
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<p>
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On the same day that the ballot screen was announced, Microsoft also
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promised to disclose interoperability information for a number of its
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products, such as Windows Server, Microsoft Office, Exchange and
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SharePoint. Here, an investigation by the European Commission is still
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ongoing.
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</p>
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</body>
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</html>
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