IBM to Join Critics of Microsoft in EU Case
Posted on: Friday, 9 December 2005, 15:00 CST
International Business Machines, Oracle and Nokia have sought court permission to join the European Commission's antitrust case against Microsoft, a lawyer representing their trade group said Thursday.
The three companies and other members of an organization called the European Committee for Interoperability Systems asked to be so- called interveners in an appeal at the European Court of First Instance, which is based in Luxembourg, said Thomas Vinje, an antitrust lawyer at Clifford Chance.
"We believe the commission is right to insist on the rapid and efficient implementation of its antitrust decision," Vinje said.
Microsoft is appealing a March 2004 decision by the European Commission ordering it to offer a version of Windows without a video and music player and to disclose information about its operating system software to competitors. Regulators also fined the company a record 497 million, or $585 million, for abusing its market dominance.
In a separate appeal filed on Aug. 10, Microsoft said the European regulator's order that it license information to developers of open-source products violated its intellectual property rights.
The Software and Information Industry Association, which represents more than 750 software makers, including Red Hat, a distributor of the Linux operating system, also applied to support the commission. Both groups asked to intervene on Tuesday, Vinje said.
Advocates of open-source programs remain the EU's main supporter in the case against Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, as businesses reach settlements with the company. RealNetworks withdrew from the European Union case in October in a $761 million agreement. Novell and the Computer & Communications Industry Association settled last year.
Linux threatens Microsoft's sales of Windows-based server software. Linux, with backing from companies including IBM, Novell and Red Hat, had third-quarter sales of $1.44 billion, said the research firm International Data Corp.
Source: International Herald Tribune
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