You know, their participation and contributions in and to open source projects, closer following of standards and consumers' best interests in their hearts...
Or so they'd want you to think:
The rest of the details http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21684329
Or so they'd want you to think:
Quote:
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Microsoft fined by European Commission over web browser Web browser choice Microsoft has reintroduced the browser choice facility after being alerted to the fact it was missing Microsoft has been fined 561m euros ($731m; £484m) for failing to promote a range of web browsers, rather than just Internet Explorer, to users in the European Union (EU). It introduced a Browser Choice Screen pop-up in March 2010 as part of a settlement following an earlier EU competition investigation. But the US company dropped the feature in a Windows 7 update in February 2011. Microsoft said the omission had been the result of a "technical error". But competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said the action was unprecedented, adding he wanted to deter any company from the "temptation" of reneging on such a promise. In theory the watchdog could have fined the firm 10% of its global annual revenue, which would have totalled $7.4bn based on its 2012 report. "We take full responsibility for the technical error that caused this problem and have apologised for it," a spokesman for Microsoft said following the announcement. "We provided the Commission with a complete and candid assessment of the situation, and we have taken steps to strengthen our software development and other processes to help avoid this mistake - or anything similar - in the future." One lawyer said the ruling was also intended to send out a message to others. "The European Commission is sending a firm signal in this first case of its type that it will not tolerate failure by a company to comply with the commitments it gave to settle an antitrust infringement procedure," said Tony Woodgate from Simmons & Simmons. Joaquin Almunia, vice-president of the European Commission, announced the fine "These 'commitments decisions' are currently the European Commission's favoured mechanism to close abuse of dominance proceedings, saving enforcement resource and allowing for a speedy resolution." |