Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      EU Ruling Could Further Alter Windows Bundling

      By
      Matthew Hicks
      -
      March 22, 2004
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        When European Union regulators rule this week in their antitrust case against Microsoft Corp., their decision will do more than possibly force the software maker to offer Windows without a bundled multimedia player.

        It appears likely to set a precedent for when and where Microsoft can integrate other software into the operating system and also to provide a legal analysis that could be used in private antitrust action against Microsoft in Europe, say legal experts and IT analysts.

        The European Commission is expected to approve on Wednesday findings and recommended remedies against Microsoft that include a requirement that Microsoft offer two version of Windows for Europe—one with Windows Media Player included and another with it stripped out.

        The EUs competition commissioner, Mario Monti, indicated the precedent-setting nature of the likely remedies in a statement last week after talks broke down between the EU and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

        “It is essential to have a precedent that will establish clear principles for the future conduct of a company with such a strong, dominant position in the market,” Monti wrote in the statement.

        /zimages/3/28571.gifRead more here about how the EU rulings could affect the schedule of Windows releases.

        With the EU leaning toward a ruling that would determine when Microsoft could and could not add functionality into Windows, the software maker will “fight it to the bitter end,” said Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft in Kirkland, Wash.

        Thats because the ramifications could extend to other bundling of software and functionality. Internet Explorer, which Microsoft considers part of Windows, is one example. The company also has added firewall capabilities into the OS. It is moving its SQL Server file system, WinFS, into the next major Windows release, code-named Longhorn.

        Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft also has been developing its own Web search capabilities that observers say it is considering adding into Windows, Rosoff said.

        “Could Google file suit in the EU?” Rosoff asked. “It paves the way for private antitrust lawsuits in Europe. Its the long-term precedent Microsoft is worried about.”

        Rosoff said he doubts that the specific remedy of splitting off Media Player will have much effect. Most OEMs, he said, are likely to continue using the bundled version for simplicitys sake and because the cost savings for consumers would be minimal.

        Along with the threat of more unbundling, the EU decision also could lay out a legal analysis that has ripple effects on other cases, even in the United States, said Donald Falk, a partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP in Palo Alto, Calif.

        The implications are not yet fully clear, since the EU has yet to release its ruling and analysis. But the ruling could be used even in U.S. cases as an analysis supporting claims of abuse of monopoly power, even if a court is not bound by it, Falk said. It more certainly will open Microsoft to further private antitrust claims in Europe and even to EU enforcement.

        “Clearly, the commission thinks their decision will make it substantially easier to bring future enforcement action, or they would not be insisting on getting a forward-looking remedy,” Falk said. “It will have persuasive force if it is a well-reasoned decision.”

        /zimages/3/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms Windows Center at http://windows.eweek.com for Microsoft and Windows news, views and analysis.
        Be sure to add our eWEEK.com Windows news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page: http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/my/addtomyyahoo2.gif

        Matthew Hicks
        As an online reporter for eWEEK.com, Matt Hicks covers the fast-changing developments in Internet technologies. His coverage includes the growing field of Web conferencing software and services. With eight years as a business and technology journalist, Matt has gained insight into the market strategies of IT vendors as well as the needs of enterprise IT managers. He joined Ziff Davis in 1999 as a staff writer for the former Strategies section of eWEEK, where he wrote in-depth features about corporate strategies for e-business and enterprise software. In 2002, he moved to the News department at the magazine as a senior writer specializing in coverage of database software and enterprise networking. Later that year Matt started a yearlong fellowship in Washington, DC, after being awarded an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship for Journalist. As a fellow, he spent nine months working on policy issues, including technology policy, in for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He rejoined Ziff Davis in August 2003 as a reporter dedicated to online coverage for eWEEK.com. Along with Web conferencing, he follows search engines, Web browsers, speech technology and the Internet domain-naming system.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Android

        Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
        Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
        Read more
        Cloud

        Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
        Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
        Read more
        Cybersecurity

        How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

        eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
        Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
        Read more
        Cybersecurity

        Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

        James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
        I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
        Read more
        Big Data and Analytics

        GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

        James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
        I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×