Microsoft To Be Fined E500M By European Union?

Microsoft To Be Fined E500M By European Union? 1029

Posted by simoniker on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:32PM from the loadsa-money dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to a Reuters story, the European Commission is in the process of fining Microsoft 497 million Euros ($613 million). The most important reason for the fine was the refusal by Microsoft to share more information about its products with competitors. Mario Monti, the EU competition commissioner, decided to impose the fine after talks with Microsoft broke down last week." The last estimate was a mere 100 million Euros, and it's noted: "If the full European Commission backs the fine as expected on Wednesday it would exceed the 462 million euro penalty imposed on Hoffman-La Roche AG in 2001 for being ringleader of a vitamin cartel."

Microsoft To Be Fined E500M By European Union?

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Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:4, Funny)

by grub ( 11606 ) writes: <slashdot@grub.net> on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:33PM (#8638293) Homepage Journal

~ The Timeline ~

March 25, 2004 Microsoft fined E497M by the EU.

April 05, 2004 Microsoft files appeal.

June 11, 2004 Verdict upheld.

June 22, 2004 Microsoft contributes heavily to the Republican party.

July 05, 2004 EU declared part of the "Axis of Evil"

July 13, 2004 Colin Powell declares the EU has "Weapons of mass destruction, without a doubt."

July 27, 2004 US troops roll into the EU to promote Bush's "World Liberation '04" re-election campaign.

Ominous (Score:5, Funny)

by gid13 ( 620803 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:33PM (#8638294)

Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of your enemies like being "the ringleader of a vitamin cartel." :)

E500M (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:33PM (#8638295)

What is E500M in Windows 98SE licenses?

Yay! Tax rebates! (Score:3, Funny)

by heironymouscoward ( 683461 ) writes: <heironymouscoward@yah3.14oo.com minus pi> on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:34PM (#8638302) Journal

We Eurocits can get a tax rebate too! Thanks, BG!

Hang on. This is all going to pay for around 4 days of the CAP. Big deal.

And Gates says... (Score:2, Funny)

by NecroPuppy ( 222648 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:34PM (#8638305) Homepage

All I wanted was sharks with freaking lasers on their heads?

How freaking hard is that?

Re:Ominous (Score:5, Funny)

by CatPieMan ( 460995 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:36PM (#8638334)

I didn't even know such things existed. It sounds comical.

So, what does a vitamin cartel do anyway? Do they price fix Iron suppliments or something? Or do they beat up the small iron works for trademark violation?

I'm really curious.

-CPM

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:36PM (#8638337)

My crystal ball says Bill and Steve better pay soon, before that 500 euros is worth an even Billion dollars. :)

E500M? We got that covered. (Score:5, Funny)

by mcmonkey ( 96054 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:36PM (#8638342) Homepage

What are the chances Bill G. & Co. will pay off the fine by buying cheap laptops in NYC [slashdot.org] and selling them in Europe while dodging the VAT?

vitamin cartel? (Score:5, Funny)

by Blob Pet ( 86206 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:37PM (#8638353) Homepage

Can you even say that phrase with a straight face and not think of Fred Flintstone as a Columbian drug lord?

Quote from Bill Gates... (Score:3, Funny)

by iiioxx ( 610652 ) writes: <iiioxx@gmail.com> on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:37PM (#8638358)

"Cash okay..?" <while reaching for his wallet>

Smart Reporters (Score:5, Funny)

by rmohr02 ( 208447 ) * writes: <mohr.42@osu. e d u> on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:37PM (#8638365)

In Microsoft's view there is no reason it should be fined at all.
Reporters seem to get smarter every day.

with that kind of capital (Score:1, Funny)

by SoupGuru ( 723634 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:38PM (#8638375)

the EU will get to the moon and Mars before us.

steps to profit... (Score:5, Funny)

by techmuse ( 160085 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:39PM (#8638394)

Step 1) Eliminate Competition
Step 2) Profit! ($40 Billion in cash)
Step 3) Get fined $0.5 Billion for being naughty
Step 4) More profit!

Value of fine benefits of bad behavior. Bad behavior continues...

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:4, Funny)

by Raagshinnah ( 670749 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:41PM (#8638423)

so when does skynet go online? before or after microsoft contributes to the republican party?

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:42PM (#8638440)

July 27, 2004 France surrenders.

Re:E500M (Score:5, Funny)

by I confirm I'm not a ( 720413 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:45PM (#8638493) Journal

that assumes the EU agrees to such terms.

The EU would never agree to such terms! What, you think we're backward in "old" Europe? We'd want at least 15 copies! And one for our mate Turkey, too!

The gateway vitamins (Score:2, Funny)

by modder ( 722270 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:47PM (#8638521)

"EU investigators found the price fixing started in the vitamin A and E market in the 1990s," [guardian.co.uk]
Oh those crazy 90s.... They always said vitamin A was the gateway vitamin, but we never ever listen to the signs.

Re:And he'd be right about WMD (Score:5, Funny)

by AuMatar ( 183847 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:48PM (#8638539)

Yes. I beleive that would be a first for this administration- correctly guessing who has them.

Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:48PM (#8638544)

Comment removed based on user account deletion

No no, it should be... (oblig Austin powers ref) (Score:5, Funny)

by MachDelta ( 704883 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:50PM (#8638568)

Mario Monti: "Here's the plan. We fine Microsoft and we hold them ransom for......five hundred MILLION dollars!"

EUC Number Two: "Uh huh hum. Well, don't you think we should maybe ask for more than five hundred million dollars? Five hundred million dollars isn't exactly a lot of money these days. The EUC alone makes over ninety billion dollars a year."

Mario Monti: "Really?"

EUC Number Two: "Uh huh!"

Mario Monti: "That's a lot. Okay then. We hold Microsoft ransom for..... five hundred BILLION dollars!!"
*Evil Laughter*

Re:E500M (Score:2, Funny)

by DaHat ( 247651 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:50PM (#8638575)

We'll give you 20 copies if your promise not to let the French have any!

Re:Typical Europeans (Score:3, Funny)

by gatkinso ( 15975 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @05:54PM (#8638627)

- All your BMW and Mercedes cars

Fine - they are unrealiable: we are keeping the Japanese cars tho.

> The jet engines from your aircraft (invented by Sir Frank Whittle in Britain in 1945)

You can have the prototypes the he never managed to get working - took the Germans to do that, and the US to perfect them.

> All your nuclear weapons and X-Ray machines (since radioactivity was discovered by the French Marie Curie in the 19th century)

Yeah she really did a bang up job with that, eh?

> The ideas that the Wright Brothers stole from Leonardo Da Vinci (Italian)

OK here you have me - the wearable bat suits and cork screw helicopters powered by men walking around in circles are all yours.

Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @06:05PM (#8638748)

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:E500M (Score:4, Funny)

by Trejkaz ( 615352 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @06:06PM (#8638758) Homepage

Oh please. Just leave French out of the language sets and you will find the entire country is too arrogant to use the remaining product.

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @06:09PM (#8638791)

The US military budget is greater than the next ten largest military budgets combined.

Yeah, but those other ten countries aren't stupid enough to pay $600 for toilet seats. :o)

Re:Typical Europeans (Score:2, Funny)

by Kohath ( 38547 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @06:12PM (#8638829)

Shut up. They'll take back the porn!

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:5, Funny)

by rajafarian ( 49150 ) * writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @06:12PM (#8638830)

I highly doubt that the US could win an all out war with the EU without annihilating the entire world in the process. So, it's not likely that we'll be invading Europe any time soon.

Yes, only an idiot would do that, right?

Oh, wait...

Re:E500M? We got that covered. (Score:3, Funny)

by TheQuantumShift ( 175338 ) writes: <monkeyknifefight@internationalwaters.com> on Monday March 22, 2004 @06:12PM (#8638831) Homepage

That's almost too good... pad it up with a few hundred words, do something fancy to it in word, and sell it to M$ as a "business case"... Welcome to the world of "consulting"...

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:4, Funny)

by CmdrGravy ( 645153 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @07:09PM (#8639596) Homepage

Well maybe but I'm sure the US forces would have wiped out a good 2/3rds of their own side in 'friendly' fire by the time they got half away across the Atlantic.

Re:-1, Self-flagellating (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @07:19PM (#8639712)

Hmm, yeah but $4 is what, about 50pence nowadays ? I think the worst thing Europe produced in the last few cenuries was America. Look at Australia, we may have screwed up the first time but we got it right in the end. Why can't all you try and be more like Australia ?

Re:with that kind of capital (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @07:43PM (#8639951)

Crashing a lander doesn't count!

why should they bother pay?? (Score:2, Funny)

by madshot ( 621087 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @08:01PM (#8640105) Homepage Journal

So Microsoft, why not just say "We are not paying and we will pull all of our products off your shelf and reject any licenses from your government office for updates to any Microsoft products".

Puny Americans! (Score:5, Funny)

by reignbow ( 699038 ) writes: <a.m.steffen@w e b .de> on Monday March 22, 2004 @08:16PM (#8640231)
They have not yet seen the true greatness of the European Comission's plan. The true scope of this strike will unrevel over the years. It goes something like this:
1. Fine Microsoft scary amount of cash (just for show)
2. Have Microsoft appeal in the most painstaking, bogged-down way imaginable
3. Watch incredible amounts of $$$ flow into the European legal business and become EUR=> Profit
Do you now see the brilliance? All that cash being siphoned off from America's flourishing legal system, will be transferred directly to Europe. And the best thing is, Microsoft is doing all the dirty work for us!
Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @08:41PM (#8640450)

I prefer the old joke about US military policy; having been late for two world wars they're trying their hardest to be first in at the next one.

Re:Ominous (Score:3, Funny)

by prockcore ( 543967 ) writes: on Monday March 22, 2004 @11:31PM (#8641515)

So, what does a vitamin cartel do anyway? Do they price fix Iron suppliments or something? Or do they beat up the small iron works for trademark violation?

They horde all the flintstones chewables.

Re:And he'd be right about WMD (Score:3, Funny)

by mu-sly ( 632550 ) writes: on Tuesday March 23, 2004 @06:21AM (#8643234) Homepage Journal

AFAIK both the UK and France have nuclear weapons.

Surely you mean nucular weapons?

There may be more comments in this discussion. Without JavaScript enabled, you might want to turn on Classic Discussion System in your preferences instead.

Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:4, Funny)

Ominous (Score:5, Funny)

E500M (Score:5, Funny)

Yay! Tax rebates! (Score:3, Funny)

And Gates says... (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Ominous (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:5, Funny)

E500M? We got that covered. (Score:5, Funny)

vitamin cartel? (Score:5, Funny)

Quote from Bill Gates... (Score:3, Funny)

Smart Reporters (Score:5, Funny)

with that kind of capital (Score:1, Funny)

steps to profit... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:E500M (Score:5, Funny)

The gateway vitamins (Score:2, Funny)

Re:And he'd be right about WMD (Score:5, Funny)

Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

No no, it should be... (oblig Austin powers ref) (Score:5, Funny)

Re:E500M (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Typical Europeans (Score:3, Funny)

Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

Re:E500M (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Typical Europeans (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:E500M? We got that covered. (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:-1, Self-flagellating (Score:1, Funny)

Re:with that kind of capital (Score:1, Funny)

why should they bother pay?? (Score:2, Funny)

Puny Americans! (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Peering into my crystal ball... (Score:1, Funny)

Re:Ominous (Score:3, Funny)

Re:And he'd be right about WMD (Score:3, Funny)

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