On Wednesday 15 November 2006 23:08 ed wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Nov 2006 22:13:54 +0000
> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Interoperability: Is Microsoft All Talk?
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>> | Microsoft sure has been talking lots about interoperability, but is
>> it | walk, walk, walking?
>> |
>> | [...]
>> |
>> | "Microsoft has learned that delaying and paying fines is the way to
>> go. | It's much cheaper than doing what the EU asked [Microsoft] to
>> do," | said Bob Lande, an antitrust professor with the University of
>> | Baltimore School of Law.
>> `----
>>
>>
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/operating_systems/interoperability_is_microsoft_all_talk.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
>> http://tinyurl.com/y4rllu
>
> yeah that was the general thought when this all began. are they still
> paying the daily fine? i doubt it somehow.
My understanding is that they are appealing, as you would expect.
However, my understanding is also that the money is being paid into an
interest-earning holding account, and that either MS or the EU will
eventually own that money+interest, depending on the outcome.
If they stop doing that, I think that they have to stop trading here.
Also, I understand that they are currently on 2M euro-a-day, to be increased
to 3M/day (backdated to July) if they don't meet the 23 November deadline.
Further (sorry!) I understand that 23 November does *not* mark the day when
we know if the fine is increased - that's the cut-off date for submission
of their final documentation, which will be assessed to see if they
complied.
I note your comments re. "it being worth it" for them simply to pay.
The EU is also aware of this, and hence the current move to raise the limit
of fines which the EU can impose to base it on world-wide trade of a
company rather than EU trade. Not sure what the current limit is, but I
fancy it's rather higher than 3M a day.
I'm sure that MS are doing their best to comply, especially as they have
made so much of "inter-operability", and I am equally sure that they will
be mortified that they will have failed to meet the imposed deadline by at
least 2 years and 4 months....
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