Philip Lowe, who will become the EU’s Director General for
Competition later this year, said in a conference organised by the
American Antitrust Institute that the European Commission is
completing its analysis. However he stressed that a final ruling
will not be issued until a US court decides whether to impose on
Microsoft stricter antitrust sanctions, as sought by nine
states.
He said:
“Until Microsoft has more clarity on the US
side, it can’t engage in negotiations with the European Commission
to clarify concessions. We will be in close consultation with the
US on the issues it has addressed and is addressing.”
“We have always emphasised that there should
be an emphasis on interoperability… [The European Union] will
ensure that competitors have the capacity to offer the range of
services they want to provide, including security.”
The Commission has been investigating Microsoft since 1998.
Competitors had accused the company of abusing its dominant
position by failing to disclose hardware specifications necessary
to integrate non-Microsoft software into corporate networks.
If the Commission decides that Microsoft has violated European
competition rules it could fine the company up to 10% of its
worldwide annual revenues. However, the US federal court can only
impose changes in Microsoft’s business practices.
A spokesman for Microsoft said: “We continue to cooperate fully
with the EU and answer any questions about our products and our
efforts to interoperate with other products.”
Consumer advocates have expressed concerns that Microsoft’s new
security product, called Palladium, will not be compatible with
competing operating systems.
The company has assured consumers that, although Palladium is
still in its infancy, the necessary specifications will be fully
disclosed. However, competitors may have to pay license fees to use
Palladium with their operating systems.
