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ECIS: What's Wrong with Microsoft's Browser Self-Remedy - Case to Continue

By Pamela Jones et al.

ECIS, accepted as an intervenor in the European Commission's Microsoft browser antitrust case, has now released a statement [PDF] explaining all that it feels isn't enough about Microsoft's self-remedy. It's titled, Too Little, Too Late, and it says that while the remedy might have been appropriate in 1997, now that there have been "decades of abuse" further action is needed.

And the EU Commission says it will continue with the case, despite the Microsoft announcement:

Europe's top antitrust regulator said in a statement released overnight that it "notes with interest" Microsoft's statement, which was made in a blog post late Thursday in the U.S. But the EC said it would proceed with the case, and would draw up a remedy that allows computer users "genuine consumer choice"....

"Rather than more choice, Microsoft seems to have chosen to provide less," it said.

If you'd like to follow along more closely, here's the Microsoft browser page, and here's the EU Commission's page on Microsoft's previous case, and here's the page explaining EU antitrust law and finally, here's the EU Commission January 14, 2008 announcement that it was opening formal investigations into two areas with respect to Microsoft, tying of the browser and interoperability, explaining the legal basis.

Full post as published by Groklaw on June 12, 2009 (boomark / email).