Mozilla Joins EU Antitrust Case Against Microsoft
The European Commission has decided to allow Mozilla to take part in an antitrust lawsuit currently underway against Microsoft regarding the inclusion of the firm's web browser, Internet Explorer, with Windows.
The European Commission has formerly charged Microsoft with anti-competitive business practices. According to a Form 10-Q document, the "European Commission issued a statement of objections expressing the Commission’s preliminary view that the inclusion of Internet Explorer in Windows since 1996 has violated European competition law."
Mozilla is not a plaintiff in the case, it is only an "interested third party," which means it will be able to review the statement of objections that was sent to Microsoft last month, as well as provide arguments to the European antitrust regulators and attend a hearing if Microsoft happens to request one. Chairperson of Mozilla Foundation and former CEO of Mozilla Corporation, Mitchell Baker, posted an entry on her blog stating that she doesn't have "the single smallest iota of doubt" that the inclusion of Internet Explorer with Windows is anti-competitive and restricts consumer choice.
"I’ve been involved in building and shipping web browsers continuously since before Microsoft started developing IE, and the damage Microsoft has done to competition, innovation, and the pace of the web development itself is both glaring and ongoing," said Baker.
Last month, Opera CEO, Jon von Tetzchner said the European Commission's previous attempt at breaking Microsoft's supposed monopoly with Windows Media Player through the sale of "N" editions of Windows alongside the normal editions is not the solution he is after. Sales figures for these versions was poor due to the equal pricing. Not many customers would be willing to pay the same for less, which is understandable given no other alternative software was included.
Tetzchner wants to see Internet Explorer removed and replaced entirely by another browser, or an option for the user to pick which browser they want to use when installing Windows. Although since many users don't know there are other browsers, or even what a browser is, they will probably choose whatever comes to mind first or what they use at work, which is likely to be Internet Explorer.
- Windows Mobile 6 "My Phone" Beta Coming Soon
- Archos Working on Android-based PMP/Phone
- PC Gaming Roundup - February 11, 2009
- Microsoft Awarded 10,000th Patent
- Nvidia Ion Microsoft Approved; Due in Spring
- Asus to Hike Prices of Eee PC, Notebooks
- Judge OKs Psystar's Countersuit Against Apple
- Hynix Produces 40nm 1 GB DDR3 for Q3'09
- Lite-On Delivers 24x DVD Writers Soon
- Twitter: We Won't Charge Companies for Accounts
- Google Adds Location Tool to Gmail
- iPhone DRM App Claims It Can Stop All Pirates
- Southwest Airlines Testing In-Flight WiFi
- SLI now Available on Intel 58 Motherboards
- Intel to Launch New 64GB SSD This Month
- Garmin-Asus' First GPS Phone: The G60
- Garmin-Asus Intros the WinMo-based Nuvifone M20
- Vista to Windows 7 Free Upgrade Plans Leaked?
I doubt there'd be as much of a stink if IE was cutting-edge technology. As a web developer I have a problem with IE (especially 6) because it really has crippled the web for a long, long time.
However, if IE was great and up-to-date with web evolution there wouldn't even BE a market for other browsers on Windows because we'd not need one.
I don't see people moaning about Apple bundling Safari with OSX...
99.9% of th population will find IE to be just fine. I use a mac and a PC and find little benefit in changing browsers. I have now standardised on Firefox as its on both platforms.
People like my parents who are not PC savvy wouldnt even know what a browser was and would not know what to install. The bundled products are great for most people and Microsoft has them well integrated.
Microsoft should just offer a version with nothing extra in it and charge them extra for the privilege. Perhaps just pull MS out of europe altogether - wonder how they'd like that.
thats very shortsighted...
they should offer different browsers to choose from on install, if anything to raise the awareness of Browsers and that the consumer has a choice, and as already stated IE is a extremely broken browser including the new one when i recently found out alot of my AJAX stuff no longer works in IE8 but is fine in everything else.... what a pile of S**t