Microsoft In Europe The Real Stake: Case Analysis

Running Header:   MICROSOFT

Microsoft in Europe ''   the Real Stake

I.       Introduction
Over the past decade, Microsoft has been battling court proceeding for antitrust violations as sought after by the European Union (EU) and the European Commission.   The European Commission implements the competition rules of the European Union when cross-border trade and competition are involved. (Brussels, 2004)

On March 24, 2004, the European Commission ruled against Microsoft on the grounds that they abused their dominant position and refused to supply and/or authorize the use of interoperability information, which is information regarding the ability to exchange and use information according to dictionary.com, and, in this case refers to the specifications of all of the protocols in Windows. (Judgment, 2007)   Microsoft has since contested the decision of the European Commission and is awaiting a decision from the Luxembourg-based Court of First Instance, the second-highest court in Europe as stated in Microsoft in Europe: The Real Stakes. (Pearce, 2009)

Regardless of the final judgment in this case of Microsoft’s violation of the antitrust laws of Europe, Microsoft must take a step back to look at its position in global competition.   They must strive to adhere to the policies and laws in each of the countries they serve to avoid further damage to their reputation and their bottom line.

II.     Analysis
In 1998, Sun Microsystems, made a complaint to the European Commission stating that Microsoft would not provide them with the interface protocol information they needed for their programs to interact with PCs ran by Windows.   (Brussels, 2004)   As noted in Commission Concludes on Microsoft Investigation, Imposes Conduct Remedies and a Fine, the initial investigation into these allegations found that Sun Microsystems were not the only companies with legitimate complaints about Microsoft.   Many companies joined forces to go against Microsoft and their unfair...