EU reminds Microsoft to offer browser choices on Windows 8

European Union antitrust regulators have warned Microsoft that it must offer consumers a choice of rival browsers in its new Windows 8 operating system. 

|
Damian Dovarganes/AP/File
In this June 2012 photo, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer comments on the Windows 8 operating system.

EU antitrust regulators warned Microsoft not to repeat the mistake of denying consumers a choice of rival browsers in its new Windows software, in a dispute that has already cost the software giant more than a billion euros in fines over a decade.

EU antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia said on Wednesday he had spelt out his concerns to Microsoft about Windows 8, its updated flagship software set for release on Friday.

"I have precisely transmitted ... my concerns, what kind of presentation should be avoided if they don't want to take the risk of a new investigation," Almunia told a news briefing.

The EU competition commissioner's warning accompanied charges Microsoft had broken a promise to offer European consumers a choice of rival browsers in its previous version of Windows, which could result in a substantial fine.

Microsoft promised three years ago to offer browser choices, to settle an EU antitrust investigation and avoid a penalty that could have been as much as 10 percent of its global turnover.

But the EU Commission, which acts as antitrust watchdog in the European Union, said Microsoft had not fulfilled its pledge between February last year and July this year, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

Almunia said Microsoft must face the music.

"If companies enter into commitments, they must do what they are committed to do or face the consequences. Companies should be deterred from any temptation to renege on promises or even to neglect their duty," he told the briefing.

Microsoft could face a significant fine as it is the second time it has failed to comply with an EU order.

A sanction could top $7.4 billion or 10 percent of its revenues for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012 - but the final figure is expected to be lower, as the infringement covered a relatively short period of time.

Microsoft, which has been penalised 1.6 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in the last decade for infringing EU rules, apologised. It has four weeks to reply to the Commission's "statement of objections" or charge sheet.

"Although this was the result of a technical error, we take responsibility for what happened, and we are strengthening our internal procedures to help ensure something like this cannot happen again," the company said in a statement.

No tablet probe

The antitrust regulator's action should serve as a warning to other companies, said Susanne Zuehlke, a partner at Brussels-based law firm Latham & Watkins.

"It shows that the Commission takes its enforcement seriously and follows up on cases even when they appeared closed," she said.

Almunia said he had no reason to go after Microsoft's operating system for tablets, a market that includes rivals Apple and Google.

"We have looked at Windows RT and on the basis of our investigation so far, there are no grounds to pursue further investigation on this particular issue," he said.

The Commission said in July several companies had accused Microsoft of only allowing its own Internet Explorer browser to be installed on devices running Windows 8 on Windows RT tablets.

Microsoft's share of the European browser market has roughly halved since 2008 to 29 percent, on a par with Google's Chrome but behind Mozilla's 30 percent share, according to web search firm Statcounter.

With the Microsoft case heading for resolution, the next battle for the Commission is likely to be with Google, the target of complaints by Microsoft and more than a dozen other rivals over its core search engine business.

The world's most popular search engine is now in talks with the EU watchdog that could help it avoid sanctions which could amount to some $4 billion.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to EU reminds Microsoft to offer browser choices on Windows 8
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/Latest-News-Wires/2012/1024/EU-reminds-Microsoft-to-offer-browser-choices-on-Windows-8
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe