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Thursday, March 25, 2004
^European Union fines
>to Microsoft $613 million,
S jrders Windows changes
By Paul Geitner
THE associated press
BRUSSELS, Belgium —
ie European Union slapped
jcrosoft Corp. with a $613
Hion fine Wednesday for abu-
|elv wielding its Windows
I ftware monopoly and ordered
I actions that go well beyond
ltn U.S. antitrust settlement —
Gal jilting up what could be another
|,gthy court battle.
WtiflMicrosoft called the EU’s
cision “unwarranted and ill-
msidered,” and said it would
a judge to suspend the
|der pending appeal.
The EU antitrust office said
sought to alter Microsoft’s
Ihavior because its five-year
milej j^tigatiGn found that the
four J ftware giant tried to squeeze
.mi Jimpetitors out of Windows-
Jlated markets and “the ille-
European Union slaps Microsoft with a $613 million fine
The European Union Commission has been pursuing Microsoft on various antitrust charges, with little
or no effect on the company's sales or market domination. On Wednesday, the Commission levied
financial penalties against the company for the first time.
o Major Windows operating
system release
Aug. 2000
July 1994 March 1998 EU charges
EU and U S. EU makes Microsolt of
stop Microsoft Microsoft abusing its
from charging alter licensing monopoly to
computer agreements dominate the
makers for with Internet server V conlrac,s
every unit sold, service software
whether it providers market
contains j
Microsoft !
software or not WSSSPiii;
April 2001
Microsoft
agrees to
modify
European
digital cable
March 2002 Aug. 2003
Microsoft offers EU offers Microsoft a “last
to help rivals' chance” before demanding
equipment changes in Windows
operate wllh
Windows
released
ftalast |
manding 15,10
ws
: 0
g|.
Microsoft's quarterly sales,
In billions of dollars
93 1994
1995
1996
199?
1998
Nov. 1997
EU forces Microsoft
to stop charging
royalties on a UNIX
operating system
whether it used
Microsoft code or not windows
Microsoft market domination
Aug. 2001 Jan. 2003
EU charges Microsoft Complaints filed to the
with violating antitrust EU charge Windows
law by bundling its XP is designed to
media player with extend Microsoft's
dominance Into new
markets
Feb. 2004
EU rejects
Microsoft offer to
include rival media
players on discs
sold with Windows
March 24
EU levies $613
million fine and
orders stripped-
down version of
Windows
it dwi
Media player
market share,
Feb. 2004
Real
20 2%
QuickTime
9.4%
Windows
34.2%
,35
Personal computer
operating
system
market jKg|
share.
2002
Windows
93.8%
Other
62%
Server operating
system
market .J§pl|
share.
2003
Windows
69.3%
Linux
12.6%
Other
8.7%
UNIX
9.4%
:reai
arch.
SOURCES MteroMft. AaaocwMd Pra*«: IPC, Qartna, Dataquasl: NlalMn/Natflatnga
r _ behavior is still ongoing.”
It gave the company 90 days
offer European computer
hiscorl anufaCtUrerS a version of
nlh ..,; Wows stripped of the compa-
t0 J f’s digital media player, soft-
1 are for viewing video and lis
licopiei
"he $ai!
identifo
eal ofH
ot iden
icopter
ised Ei
charters
basedg
oductioi
to music that is expected
|become pivotal in the industry
multimedia content becomes
lore pervasive.
The EU also gave
|licrosoft 120 days to release
complete and accurate”
Iformation to rivals in the
ffice server market so their
roducts can work more
noothly with desktop com
puters running Windows.
“Microsoft has abused its
virtual monopoly power over
the PC desktop in Europe,”
EU antitrust chief Mario
Monti said. “We are simply
ensuring that anyone who
develops new software has a
fair opportunity to compete in
the marketplace.”
Monti said he limited the
order to Europe in deference to
regulators in the United States
and other countries, but that
doing so “will not unduly
undermine the effectiveness,”
given the size of the European
market. Microsoft, which had
$32 billion in revenue last
NEWS IN BRIEF
year, does about 20 percent of
its business in Europe, the
Middle East and Africa.
Microsoft’s general coun
sel, Brad Smith, said he would
ask the presiding judge at the
European Court of First
Instance to stay the order
pending appeal — a process
that could take years.
“The European Commission
has the first word, but the
European courts have the final
word,” he said.
Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates, announcing a new
speech server product in San
Francisco on Wednesday, did
not mention the EU case.
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Episcopal bishops offer plan to
(Conservative dissenters on gays
NAVASOTA, Texas (AP)— Episcopal Church leaders
[tiave offered a plan to help reconcile the denomina-
Ws split over the acceptance of gay clergy, but one
pic said the proposal was “dead on arrival."
Itie plan was produced in Navasota, Texas, in
Response to turmoil over the church's consecration of
tsfirst openly gay bishop last year.
Canon Kendall Harmon, South Carolina’s delegate
n the network steering committee, said the plan is
dead on arrival. It doesn’t even come close to rec-
'gnizingthe crisis we face."
was
3D1to,
lawman’
om neif
Tuesite
hecte
The views of conservative priests and parishioners
were not sought before the gathering and several
bishops in the network left Navasota in discourage
ment before Tuesday's final vote, Harmon said.
Florida’s rip currents blamed in
4 deaths last weekend
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This week’s deaths were all blamed on rip currents,
which are rushing channels of water.
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