By Andy McCue, 22 December 2004 13:00
NEWS Microsoft has said it will comply with European Commission sanctions and offer a version of Windows without Media Player in the New Year as well as licensing communications protocols to competitors.
The move follows Microsoft's failed appeal to the European Court of First Instance to get the EC sanctions suspended until the full appeal against the competition ruling is heard next year.
Microsoft argued that releasing the protocols to competitors and offering the version of Windows with Media Player unbundled would cause "irreparable damage" to its business if it later succeeded in overturning the EC's ruling through the appeal courts.
But the judge upheld the EC sanctions today and Chris Parker, director of legal and corporate affairs at Microsoft UK, told silicon.com the company will now comply with the sanctions ahead of the full appeal.
"We will be offering a version of Windows in the European Union which does not have Windows Media Player. Whether the market wants it will be another thing," said Parker.
He said the unbundled version would be with OEMs in the New Year and with the rest of the market sometime around February. He said the cost won't impact Microsoft's overall business but added that it is "not trivial, it's substantial".
With regards to licensing communications protocols to competitors, Parker said the EC has allowed Microsoft to put "contractual safeguards" in the licensing agreements.
"If the court rules in our favour we'll get them [the protocols] back," he said.
In the meantime, Parker said Microsoft is still "ready, willing and able" to talk to the EC about a settlement.
"There is still a strong argument that we should get back around the table. Microsoft wants to settle this. It is better than another three years in the courts and the uncertainty in the meantime," he said.
Comments
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1. Keith Armstrong
Microsoft's exploratrions into Graphics and Desktop Publishing are another area of concern to power users. That is to say to user's who wish to rely upon the software they have, built in or otherwise. Notroiously hostile (programmatically) the software frequently provides sub-standard results. Real player might be a case in point with regard to Media.
2. anonymous
This doesn't consider the small businesses who provide video streaming and video applications and even more doesn't consider the consumer. This is only helping RealPlayer, no one else. And RealPlayer takes over your system anyway so aren't much different to MS except they constantly try and get non computer literate people to part with their money for upgrades and content.
Another grand victory for the EC legal system, makes me so proud to be living in a newly born police state.
3. BOB HENDERSON
This is rank stupidity on the behalf of EC. I run MP 10 on my machine WHICH WASN'T BUNDLED,I downloaded it from Microsoft. I also run REALPLAYER which I downloaded for free,shall they ban that also??.This EC mob look like a biased lot of incompetents & I question their motives.
4. anonymous
This is another classic European court ruling, which is farcical. It is like saying car manufacturers must offer a version of their car without Brakes, just because other people offer different braking systems. No one apart from the employees of the European court will benefit by this ruling, by making more work for themselves.
People can already use a different Media player if they want to, what suppliers of different Media players should be doing is providing sufficient added value that everyone will want it.