Microsoft Set To Be Fined $2.4M a Day

Nexum writes "The BBC is reporting on a European Union threat to fine Microsoft up to $2.4m a day for their non-compliance with the European Commission's demand that Windows be opened up. Back in March 2004 Microsoft was ordered to open up its Windows operating system by way of making documentation available that would assist work on interoperability with other systems, specifically: 'non-Microsoft work group servers [should be able to] achieve full interoperability with Windows PCs and servers'. According to the article, Brussels has found MS to have not complied with the ruling, and, sounding somewhat exasperated, EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes has given MS a 5 week deadline before the $2.4m/a day fines begin."

Bam!

[Anonymous Coward]

Bet you wish it was just another pie now, dontcha' Gates!

Re:Just a question

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes

I'm sorry, I'm confused again.

[llamalicious]

Is today pro-Microsoft or anti-Microsoft?
I left my cheat-sheet at home...

Microsoft Picket Lines

[Mulletproof]

"Microsoft Set To Be Fined $2.4M a Day"

That's what those bastards get for shutting down New York with that transit strike.... Oh, wait...

MS should disable Excel's Euro plug-in ...

[joelsanda]

and they could 'recalculate' the fine to be 2.4 dollars a day.

Re:Debt collection

[gregarican]

They will send the case to some collection agency, who will call Bill Gates at home and at work asking when payment will be made or at least a reason why it hasn't been made yet. Then Bill will have no other alternative than to write the check to keep the monkeys off his back.

Re:Wait what!?

[Tx]

Can they by law do that?

They are the law. (to paraphrase Judge Dredd)

Re:I'm sorry, I'm confused again.

[BushCheney08]

Well, you know, everyone is feeling that giving spirit right about now. I guess this includes /.ers letting MS off the hook easily. Hint guys: posting positive comments about MS for the next few days doesn't increase the chances of there being a 360 under the tree...

what's next?

[jaemz]

How long before we see the 'Microsoft disclosure documentation of non-Microsoft work group servers for dummies' book?

Thats unAmerican

[Anonymous Coward]

"they have to respect the laws and governments of that market, no matter what those laws may be"

Next you'll be saying Presidents aren't above the law. That Vivendi can't push a French law through at Christmas making sharing a copy of music track with your mother a Euro300000 fine and 3 years in prison offence. Or that the *wife* of the CEO of Vivendi, can't push a similar law through the EU parliament at short notice.

The positively Un American and anti-corporation and therefore probably illegal.

Article 22 of unwritten law says Corporations can do whatever the fuck they want, as long as they claim jobs will be lost. Microsoft will simply invoke Article 22, say "Jobs will be lost in Europe because of this ruling" and it will be dropped.

Re:Just a question

[hey!]

Sure. I bet they have an intern right now looking underneath the cushions in the executive boardroom.

Re:The trick

[Zebadias]

Monkeys yes, users not a chance!

Re:I'm sorry, I'm confused again.

[Winterblink]

Not sure. Depends on how many 360s people found at Best Buy this morning.

Re:this is stupid

[richlv]

if you were ms, i would tell you
"oh, please, please do not, our economies will crush, we will beg you to come back and have govt agreements with you later - please don't leave us !"

Apologies to the source

[Grayden]

"You're right, I did lose 2.4 million dollars yesterday. I expect to lose 2.4 million dollars today. I expect to lose 2.4 million dollars tomorrow. You know Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of 2.4 million dollars a day, I'll have to close this place in... 60 years"

</citizen_kane>

IQ and school performance

[Pac]

IQ does not correlate perfectly with IQ performance, specially at the high end of the curve.

And you're kidding right? The only time early UNIX machines were approached by people with IQs bellow 140 was when they were being transported from one place to another, and that's only when those people were idly standing near the truck - other than that even the truck drivers and the janitors who cleaned the rooms they were stored in held at least one PHD.

Re:Just a question

[Anonymous Coward]

"Hmmm...3 day months?"

That's a typical work month in Europe, yes.

Clippy speaks

[LodCrappo]

It looks like your monopoly is being fined by the EU!

Would you like to:

• Pretend to comply with their demands?
• Insert a random delay into the court proceedings?
• Print out a press release denying any wrongdoing?
• Reboot?

Re:The trick

[Andrewkov]

Microsoft stays in the game and EU bureacrats get new Paris offices.

And the people of France can download pirated versions of Windows via P2P!

Re:WOW, I got a 130 IQ or higher

[mdielmann]

Any person with a IQ above room temperature will get the hint.

I don't know about you, but I keep the room temperature between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. People with IQs that low barely know how to breathe. Of course, that hovers around the 295 Kelvin mark, but do you know how hard it is to find someone with an IQ approaching 200, let alone 300? Now I don't know about any other useful temperature units...except for some arbitrary system with no simple correlation between different units (even ones for measuring the same things!) and goofy names like furlong, inch, stone, grain, and Fahrenheit.

Clippy

[thesnarky1]

Clippy:

It looks like you're trying to sue Microsoft... I can't let you do that Dave... *BOOM*

And so it was that half the EU was wiped off the map with the hidden thermite that comes standard as part of Windows TCP/IP - Terrorist Controlled Protection for Intellectual Property.

Re:Just a question

[justins]

Are you asking what gives the EU jurisdiction to collect on the fine?

Hey, they were important once! Napoleon, Churchill, The Beatles, etc.

Re:Just a question

[Anonym0us Cow Herd]

I think what he's stating, is that MS will just decide to STOP providing product and services to ANY EU country.

Oh please God, let it happen in the US too!

Hey now...

[Belial6]

I don't read Slashdot to hear people admitting their own faults, and getting along. Stop it! Get back to misunderastanding, and calling each other names!