Due to the European Commision’s decision to recently rule that Microsoft was in violation of antitrust law for years by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows operating system software, Microsoft Deputy General Counsel Dave Heiner reported in his blog that Windows 7 would feature IE unbundled with an optional install in Europe. The European Union spun this decision as Microsoft providing less rather than more, e.g. a decision to include other browsers as optional installs within Windows 7, such as Norway’s Opera. It is interesting that the EU decided to take this action almost an entire decade after this issue was decided in the U.S. Might this have anything to do with the recent economic turmoil leaving governments to find inventive ways to find new revenues?
Tags: antitrust law, European Union, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, unbundled
Michael M. Wechsler is an experienced IP attorney, Internet entrepreneur, noted speaker and quoted author. He founded Apple online community EastNet in 1992 (featured by David Pogue in Macworld Magazine) and later founding TheLaw.com. For several years he served as legal counsel to iVillage, was as an e-discovery legal consultant for Kroll Ontrack, was recently SVP of Business Strategy at Zedge, and is currently at the helm of The Law Network.
