Microsoft holds back on more EU concessions
Yahoo | at | by Mike
Microsoft Corp. is holding back on making further concessions to European Union antitrust regulators, waiting to see first what happens in the United States, John Frank, the company's top European lawyer, said Thursday. Microsoft has already moved to answer some of these complaints, but is resisting requests for further disclosures of Windows code functions. Frank says the previous concessions are sufficient to ensure that Windows-powered servers communicate effectively with rival software and hardware products. Anything more would amount to allowing rivals to copy its innovations.
Microsoft's predicted success in limiting U.S. antitrust charges seems to have stiffened its resolve. Washington has already dropped its demand to split up the company. "There's already a pretty broad provision on interoperability in the U.S. that's directly applicable to the EU's case," said Frank. "The Commission is very interested in understanding the U.S. settlement approach."