89 rader
3.6 KiB
HTML
89 rader
3.6 KiB
HTML
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<html newsdate="2009-01-20">
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<head>
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<title>Web browser interoperability: FSFE welcomes EC's decision and offers support</title>
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<body>
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<h1>Web browser interoperability: <br />FSFE welcomes EC's decision and offers support</h1>
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<p>On the 16th of January the European Commission DG Competition reported
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that it had issued a statement of objections regarding Microsoft's
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tying of Internet Explorer (IE) to the Windows Operating System
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product family. This action builds on a complaint originally
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submitted by Opera, a European company involved in web browser
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development.</p>
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<p newsteaser="yes">Free Software Foundation Europe welcomes the European Commission's
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decision and offers its support in the coming anti-trust
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investigation. As stated previously in a letter to the European
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Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, anti-competitive behaviour is
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unacceptable, whether it occurs as 'tying' products with dominant
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market segments, or in circumventing standards and fair access.</p>
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<p>"Web browsers are becoming a critical platform for home and business
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computing," says Shane Coughlan, legal coordinator at FSFE. "The
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market previously failed to prevent unfair distortion of the desktop
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environment and we cannot allow such practices to be repeated."</p>
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<p>"It is important that no business in Europe is allowed to institute
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any policy of embracing, extending and extinguishing competition
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either through manipulation of interoperability information or through
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abuse of a dominant position by unfair tying and bundling of
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products," says Georg Greve, FSFE President. "Microsoft is a company
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that has previously been convicted of market distortion in the Work
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Group Server market, and we would welcome if the Commission also took
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up the antitrust complaint initially lodged in early 2006 by the
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European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS) regarding market
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abuse in other areas."</p>
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<p>For FSFE's previous statement on this issue please see: <a
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href="http://www.fsfeurope.org/news/2007/news-20071221-01">http://www.fsfeurope.org/news/2007/news-20071221-01</a></p>
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<p>For FSFE's letter to the European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes
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please see: <a
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href="http://fsfeurope.org/documents/20071219-opera-antitrust.pdf">http://fsfeurope.org/documents/20071219-opera-antitrust.pdf</a></p>
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<h2>About the Free Software Foundation Europe</h2>
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<p>The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit non-governmental
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organisation active in many European countries and involved in many global
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activities. Access to software determines participation in a digital society.
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To secure equal participation in the information age, as well as freedom of
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competition, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is
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dedicated to the furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use,
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study, modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
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securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people Freedom by
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supporting development of Free Software are central issues of the FSFE.</p>
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<p>You will find further information about the work of the FSFE at <a
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href="http://www.fsfeurope.org/">http://www.fsfeurope.org/</a>.</p>
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<h2>Press contact:</h2> <a href="mailto:greve@fsfe.org">greve @ fsfeurope.org</a>
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<h2>Contact</h2>
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<ul>
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<li>Belgium: +32 2 747 03 57</li>
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<li>Germany: +49 700 373 38 76 73</li>
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<li>Sweden: +46 31 7802160</li>
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<li>Switzerland: +41 43 500 03 66</li>
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<li>UK: +44 29 200 08 17 7</li>
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</ul>
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</body>
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<tags>
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<tag>Policy</tag>
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<tag>Antitrust</tag>
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<tag>Microsoft</tag>
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<tag content="European Commission">EuropeanCommission</tag>
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</tags>
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</html>
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