Gizmodo
antitrust
Posts Tagged “
Eu
”
antitrust
windows 7
Windows 7 and Windows Live to Have Even More Forced Integration
In a move that's sure to make the EU giddy at the possibility of levying more fines, Microsoft's been circulating some internal memos brainstorming ways to better connect the next version of Windows with the next version of Windows Live. The author dreams of a system where each user can log into their Live accounts (usually your @hotmail.com address) and be automatically connected as you're setting up your computer for the first time. More »
microsoft
EU Skeptical of Microsoft's Open Grizzly Bear Embrace
Microsoft's sudden embrace of interoperability and openness is a big change of tune from the tightly puckered song of the past right? Well, the EU says they've heard it all before—at least four times. And while EU regulators breathing down Ballmer's neck is undoubtedly one of the reasons for the shift—you know, aside from remaining relevant and holding on to developers—they said it's not going to let Microsoft off the hook yet. More »
legal eagle
Microsoft Cries Uncle in Europe, Will Give Up Code to Competitors
After nine years of back and forth and a small country's GDP in fines for antitrust violations, Microsoft's finally caving to EU antitrust regulators by giving code to competitors it's fought to keep to itself after a 2004 European Commission directive to hand it over. A ruling last month by the EU's second-highest court affirmed the EU's right to force powerhouse companies to share intellectual property with competitors in order to level the playing field, which purportedly led Ballmer to fly to Europe to cut the deal. More »
home entertainment
EU to Apple, Big Four: EMI Deal Is Nice, But Suck on This Antitrust Investigation
The European Commission is investigating Apple and its good buddy EMI, along with the rest of the Big Four (Sony BMG, Universal and Warner) for antitrust violations because iTunes charges different prices in different countries. British folk, for instance, apparently get a sweet €0.17 discount per track for not living in mainland Europe. The EU thinks that's a load of crap—anticompetitive crap, to be precise—and wants the price to be the same in every EU country. More »
eu bureaucrats
Another Clueless Eurobureaucrat Wants Apple To Open iTunes
Rather than focusing on kicking all the european RIAA-equivalents' butt, the useless European Union bureaucrats continue to spend money on pointless stuff, like pressuring Apple to open the iTunes Music Store's DRM system. At least according to EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, who thinks that "something has to change". More »
apple
