Microsoft stays on attack in court: Invokes bank vault analogy

Posted Apr 26th 2006 7:03PM by Lita Epstein
Filed under: Industry, Law, Competitive Strategy, Microsoft (MSFT)

Microsoft's attorneys stayed on the attack in the appeals court on Wednesday and used a bank vault analogy to make their point. Yesterday it was shoe laces. Getting very creative aren't they?

In today's session, the Financial Times reports that Microsoft accused the European Commission of “the biggest encroachment on intellectual property in European competition law history.” Microsoft's attorney compared the EU's antitrust ruling to “opening the vaults of a bank” and giving away money to people who passed by. I think that's going a bit too far, but its does make for an interesting analogy.

The issue being discussed was interoperability with windows servers. The EU wants Microsoft to release information necessary for its competitors to develop server software that can operate smoothly on Windows-driven servers. Microsoft's attorney's say that the EU's order to release 12,500 pages of interoperability information infringed on the company's patents without proper justification.

Tomorrow the justices get their chance to ask questions. Wonder how tough they'll be? Tune in tomorrow to find out.

Tags: antitrust, EU, Microsoft, servers, Windows

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-27-2006 @ 12:04AM

Mr.G.Mo'money said...

The EU's original decision came down in Q1-04?
Where are we today? Has it or will its eventual implicatinos affect M$'s
bottom line?

Better yet, will it do anything to this miserable valuation w/ only 5% growth over the lats 3 years (semi-consistent dividends not counted)?

Here's their original supposed attempt at compliance FUD press release.

In the end, the EU cited two issues:
a.)Microsoft Work Group Server Protocol Program
b.)Anti-competitive bundling of Windows Media Player into their OS

So what is there to fight now?

Apparently the EU's ruling has major implications not for M$ but for IP and innovation-stifling software patents across the board.
Maybe we'll start to see innovation for the first time in 10 years in this space?
So what? What's the point?

Here's the important question though: Of its closest competitors, Who is really on sale, big boy blue or $oftie: