EC to raise MS fine?
PrintPatience is wearing thin
Posted in Hardware, 10th July 2006 14:03 GMT
Free whitepaper – Deploying high-density zones in a low-density data center
The European Commission is planning to raise the cap on the amount it will fine Microsoft for failing to comply with its anti-trust ruling from €2m to €3m per day, according to Reuters.
The news service cites an unnamed diplomatic source, speaking ahead of a meeting of regulators in Brussels to decide how much the software giant should pay.
The Commission has already imposed a €497m fine on the company, back in 2004. It ruled that Microsoft had abused its market dominance by bundling Windows Media Player with its operating system, and by failing to make some of its server protocols available to developers.
If the cap is raised, it would be a clear sign that Brussels is losing patience with the software giant which has been appealing the decision using every legal trick in the book.
The maximum amount the Commission can fine the company is five per cent of its average daily turnover. For the period concerned, that could be as much as $5.5m per day.
If Microsoft is unsuccessful in its appeal, it will have to pay the Commission an additional €2m for every day it has not complied with the ruling, backdated to December 15, 2004. ®
Free whitepaper – Fundamental Principles of Air Conditioners for Information Technology
Analyst Keynote: The Register Agile Data Center Summit
Managing desktop software for fun and profit
Seven ways to lower storage costs
Dell PowerEdge M710 with Dell EqualLogic storage vs. HP ProLiant BL685c with HP StorageWorks EVA 4400
Analyst Keynote: The Register Agile Data Center Summit
OpenOffice.org pushes gamers' buttons with OOMouse
Windows 7 kills two thirds of active Vista initiatives
Big Iron, big data, big networks, big problems
HP scores SMB storage hat-trick