The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

EC objects to MS - Time Warner ContentGuard takeover

We don't like it...

Free whitepaper – Thermal design of Dell PowerEdge server

The European Commission is objecting to Microsoft and Time Warner's attempted takeover of digital rights company ContentGuard.

The EC expressed its concerns when the deal was announced in August. At the time it said: "It appears to the Commission that the transaction might possibly create or strengthen a dominant position by Microsoft in the market for Digital Right Management (DRM) solutions."

The Commission has now sent "statements of objection" to the three companies. This does not rule out the deal going ahead, but it suggests the two firms will have to convince the Commission that the takeover won't damage competition. The Commission will seek assurances that competing companies are given fair access to ContentGuard technology, according to the Financial Times.

The Commission is due to rule on the takeover in early January. ®

Related stories

Monti: Courts must rule on MS anti-trust
EC launches Microsoft DRM probe
Time Warner invests in ContentGuard

Free whitepaper – Migrating to the new Dell Management Console

Don’t Miss

DustbinDirty, dirty PCs: The X-rated picture guide

Ventblockers Horror beyond human imagination

SC09Top 500 supers - rise of the Linux quad-cores

SC09 Jaguar munches Roadrunner

Ubuntu teaser Early adopters bloodied by Ubuntu's Karmic Koala

Smooth Windows upgrade it ain't

Sign up, sign up for The Register IT security newsletter

Narrowcasting for the email classes