BELGIUM: MICROSOFT BEGINS ITS DEFENCE AGAINST EU REGULATORS CHARGES THAT IT ABUSED ITS DOMINANCE OF DESKTOP COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS
Record ID:
452088
BELGIUM: MICROSOFT BEGINS ITS DEFENCE AGAINST EU REGULATORS CHARGES THAT IT ABUSED ITS DOMINANCE OF DESKTOP COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS
- Title: BELGIUM: MICROSOFT BEGINS ITS DEFENCE AGAINST EU REGULATORS CHARGES THAT IT ABUSED ITS DOMINANCE OF DESKTOP COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS
- Date: 12th November 2003
- Summary: (EU) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 12, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. CU'S: SCREEN OF COMPUTER AT START-UP WITH MICROSOFT WINDOWS 2000 OPERATING SYSTEM (2 SHOTS) 0.10 2. VARIOUS OF COMPUTER USER BEHIND SCREEN, CHECKING OUT THE WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER WEBSITE, TOGGLING THE KEYBOARD (4 SHOTS) 0.53 3. WIDE SHOT OF EUROPEAN UNION'S BORSCHETTE CENTRE, WHERE THE CLOSED HEARING OF MICROSOFT TOOK PLACE 1.03 4. MICROSOFT PUBLIC RELATIONS PEOPLE AND LAWYERS COMING OUT OF THE BUILDING (2 SHOTS) 1.16 5. CU: JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES 1.22 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CEO ED BLACK OF THE COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (CCIA) SAYING: "There was no such thing as the Microsoft case. Microsoft does a variety of anti competitive acts and behaviours in different markets an in different ways. It is appropriate for enforcement authorities to focus on a part of their misbehaviour when they come across it, that they see having a big impact. It would be too much of a burden frankly for someone to tackle all of Microsoft's anti competitive practices at once." 1.49 7. PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES 1.54 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CEO ED BLACK OF THE COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (CCIA) SAYING: "It is fair to say that we don't expect particularly new arguments. They have had this case pending against them for five years. It is really the evidence that have been built up by the Commission, submitted by other parties. The analysis of the law has all been thoroughly bedded. It is our expectation that, while it is very important that Microsoft has this opportunity, that there really is not much they can bring to bear that alters the EU competition law, that changes the history of their anti competitive behaviour." 2.33 9. VARIOUS OF MICROSOFT GENERAL COUNSEL BRAD SMITH (LEFT) AND DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL JOHN FRANKS COMING OUT OF THE EU BUILDING AND GETTING INTO CARS / CARS DRIVING OFF (3 SHOTS) 3.00 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th November 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Reuters ID: LVAA3X4NBM9T9KL05SQRPLQ978RD
- Story Text: Microsoft was set to defend itself against EU regulators'
charges that it abused its dominance of desktop
computer operating systems.
A three-day closed hearing started on Wednesday
(November 12) under the presidency of hearing officer Karen
Williams, who will ultimately give her recommendations in a
confidential memo to her boss, European Union (EU)
competition chief Mario Monti.
The first one-and-a-half days are given over to Microsoft,
to allow it to defend itself against the charges
laid out by the European Commission in its four-year
investigation.
The Commission says Microsoft used Windows's dominance
of desktop operating systems to squeeze out rival software
firms in the markets for playing music and video files and
running basic computer networks.
A lawyer for an association backed by Microsoft's rivals,
Computer and Communications Industry Association
(CCIA), said the software giant would be pulling out all
the stops.
The Financial Times newspaper said the probe against
the firm could also be extended to look at unfair bundling
of programs within the Windows XP system, something which
CCIA complained about in February.
"There was no such thing as the Microsoft case.
Microsoft does a variety of anti competitive acts and
behaviours in different markets an in different ways. It is
appropriate for enforcement authorities to focus on a part
of their misbehaviour when they come across it, that they
see having a big impact. It would be too much of a burden
frankly for someone to tackle all of Microsoft's anti
competitive practices at once," said CEO Ed Black of the
Computer and Communications Industry Association.
The Commission says that to even out the competition,
it is considering forcing Microsoft to remove its
multimedia playing software from Windows and tell rivals
how to get Windows to work better with server software.
It also told Microsoft that it plans to fine the
Redmond, Washington-based software giant. Microsoft said in
a statement that its written response to the Commission
"provided extensive evidence to illustrate that significant
consumer choice exists in the server operating systems and
digital media markets today".
It has said nothing more about how it will defend
itself. Typically, oral hearings held by the Commission
give the company involved a chance to lay out its case and
allow those in the room -- including member states, third
parties and Commission staff -- to ask the firm questions.
Once the Commission finishes its presentation on
Thursday, competitors such as Sun Microsystems, Novell and
RealNetworks will be able to give their views. So too will
the Association for Competitive Technology, backed by
Microsoft, and Computer and Communications Industry
Association, funded by Microsoft's rivals.
Microsoft has also had trouble with antitrust
authorities in the United States, where the courts found it
had abused its monopoly power to compete illegally with
Internet Web browser Netscape Navigator. Microsoft agreed
on remedies with the U.S. Justice Department for its home
market, but critics say they have done little to improve
the competitive situation.
At the same time the hearings are taking place,
Microsoft is still talking to the Commission to reach a
compromise.
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