Microsoft’s European Hearing and America’s Future

by on May 2, 2006

Below is my summary of last week’s Microsoft hearing at the CFI in Luxembourg. You can read the entire column here. The hearing has major implications for American businesses that depend on intellectual property protections.

[…]

The European Court of First Instance (CFI) buzzed with energy this week as Microsoft and the European Commission squared off over a damaging 2004 ruling that, along with a fine of 497 million euros (US$613 million), creates a new Microsoft product and exposes the company’s valuable intellectual property. The circus-like hearing holds wide-ranging implications for American businesses.

On the first day, news crews and a gaggle of reporters showed up to watch the attorneys, some in horsehair wigs, discuss whether or not Microsoft abused its market power in the media-player market. Although Microsoft demonstrated that other media players exist and many consumers are using them, the EC continued to insist that Microsoft needed to be reined in.

[…]

SHARE:

Sonia Arrison / Sonia Arrison is an author and policy analyst who has studied the impact of new technologies on society for more than a decade. A Senior Fellow at the California-based Pacific Research Institute (PRI) and a columnist for TechNewsWorld, she is author of two previous books (Western Visions and Digital Dialog) as well as numerous PRI studies on technology issues. A frequent media contributor and guest, her work has appeared in many publications including CBS MarketWatch, CNN, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. She was also the host of a radio show called "digital dialogue" on the Voice America network and has been a repeat guest on National Public Radio and CNN's Headline News.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: