Battle of the Planets - the EU OOXML saga

EU regulators have announced a third investigation into Microsoft's conduct on the desktop, the latest action demonstrating that while the EU has settled its earlier decade-long case against Microsoft, it remains as suspicious as ever regarding the software vendor's conduct, notwithstanding
Microsoft's less combative stance in recent years. The news can be found in a story reported by Charles Forelle bylined in Brussells this week.

According to the Journal, the investigation will focus on whether Microsoft "violated antitrust laws during a struggle last year to ratify its Office software file format as an international standard."  The article also says that the regulators are "stepping up scrutiny of the issue."  The Journal cites the following as the type of activity it will look into:

"In the months and weeks leading up to [last summer's vote on OOXML], Microsoft resellers and other allies joined standards bodies en masse -- helping swell the Italian group, for instance, from a half-dozen members to 85. Opponents said Microsoft stacked committees. People familiar with the matter say EU regulators are now questioning whether Microsoft's actions were illegal. Microsoft said at the time that any committee expansion had the effect of making more voices heard; it also said rival International
Business Machines Corp. mobilized on the other side of the vote."

 
A Microsoft spokesman referred to a statement issued last month, in which the company said it would "cooperate fully" with the EU regulator and was "committed to ensuring" the company is in compliance with EU law.

This newest investigation follows only one month after the EU announced two other investigations, one into the integration of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser into Office and Windows over competing alternatives, and another relating to the degree and ease of interoperability that
Microsoft permits other vendors to achieve with Office.

The investigation will be especially welcome in standards circles, due to the wide range of reports from the field alleging misconduct by Microsoft, although, as noted in the Journal article, Microsoft has claimed that IBM has engaged in similar conduct.

It will be interesting to see where this leads.
 

Comments

[Online Gambling]

It's funny how Google can get away with just about anything, while Microsoft is always under the microscope of legislators.