European antitrust officials are set on investigating Microsoft for anti-competitive market moves once again, but this time the European Commission could be going for Redmond’s jugular.
This round of investigations falls under two separate categories of alleged infringements of European Commission Treaty rules. The first case deals with interoperability. The second relates to tying separate software products together. Specifically, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office have come under scrutiny.
“Recent press reports suggested Microsoft reached a grand settlement with the European Commission, and we expected it to be quiet for a while. Then we look up and a new investigation is under way,” said Keith Hylton, a professor of law at the Boston University School of Law. “I was surprised to see a new investigation so soon.”
Settling for a Song
In one of the two EC antitrust investigations, Opera Software has complained that Microsoft illegally ties Internet Explorer to its Windows OS. The EC also cited antitrust allegations that Microsoft shackles other software products to its OS, including desktop search and Windows Live.
This is similar to the settled complaint over Microsoft tying its Windows Media Player to Windows, giving Opera precedent. The remedy in the first round of litigation was to require Microsoft to offer a version of Windows without Windows Media Player.
The version of Windows without the media player has few sales.
“I don’t know what the European Commission is aiming to get out of this. The remedy in the media player case simply imposes cost on Microsoft without providing any benefits whatsoever to consumers in Europe,” Hylton said. “I thought the notion of competition law was to benefit consumers.”
Targeting Microsoft’s Core
Still, it’s the Office suite investigation that could be a potentially costly fight for Microsoft. According to the complaints, Microsoft has illegally refused to disclose interoperability information across a broad range of…