EU Raises Possibility of New Fines for Microsoft

Looks like the EU is continuing to go after Microsoft. The Sailor is not a big fan of Microsoft, but I do believe the EU is now looking at MS as a cash cow. Note to Bill Gates: Perhaps it is time MS stopped selling up to date technology to the EU. Unbundle Windows and just do rudimentary updates and let the EU fall behind the rest of the world. You can bet the they will be flocking to countries where the latest versions of Windows are being sold to purchase it. - Sailor

EU Raises Possibility of New Fines for Microsoft
1 hour, 43 minutes ago

Technology - Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission (news - web sites) held out the possibility on Friday that Microsoft Corp. may face fines up to 5 percent of its average daily turnover unless it complies soon with an EU antitrust decision.

Last month Microsoft lost a months-long bid to suspend sanctions for breaking the law and said it would offer a stripped-down version of Windows and share some protocols with rival makers of servers by early February.
"We obviously expect the remedies to be complied with within a matter of weeks -- measured from last December -- rather than months," spokesman Jonathan Todd said on Friday.

Asked what the Commission can do if the software giant fails to comply, Todd said:
"The ... regulation allows the Commission to decide to impose penalty payments up to 5 percent of Microsoft's average daily turnover."

He also said Microsoft must refrain from contractual terms that would make the unbundled version less attractive.

The Commission decided 10 months ago that Microsoft abused its virtual monopoly of the Windows operating system and has already fined it 497 million euros ($647.9 million).

Microsoft has paid the 497 million euros fine.