As we suggested last October, forgetting to offer a browser choice on Windows 7 SP1 turned out to be an expensive mistake for Microsoft:
The European Union Commission has fined Microsoft Corp. €561 million ($733 million) for breaking the terms of an earlier agreement to offer users a choice of internet browser.
The penalty is a first for Brussels — no company has ever failed to keep its end of a bargain with EU authorities before.
…
The commission’s top regulator, Joaquin Almunia, said at a press conference in Brussels, Belgium Wednesday that negotiated settlements are vital for enforcement to be carried out quickly. But he warned that the whole point would be undermined if companies then don’t abide by the terms of the settlement.
"They must do what they committed to do, or face the consequences," he said.
Almunia added that the large fine took into account the size and length of time the company violated the terms of its agreement, as well as the need to defer other companies from backsliding on their promises to competition authorities. He said the fine was less than it might have been because Microsoft had co-operated with the investigation.
Quite a profitable racket they have there.
Related posts:
