A Norwegian software company has filed an antitrust
complaint with the European Commission, accusing Microsoft of tying
its web browser, Internet Explorer, to Windows and of hindering
interoperabilty with other web browsers.
Opera Software said
Microsoft is abusing its dominant position by tying Internet
Explorer to the Windows operating system and by hindering
interoperability by not following accepted web standards.
Microsoft denies the allegations and said, "consumers and PC
manufacturers already are free to choose to use any browsers they
wish."
The company has requested the EC to take two actions. It either
wants the Commission to obligate Microsoft to unbundle Internet
Explorer from Windows, or to carry alternative browsers
pre-installed on the desktop, or both.
It is also asking the Commission to require Microsoft to follow
fundamental and open Web standards "accepted by the Web-authoring
communities".
Jason Hoida, deputy general counsel at Opera, said, "Our
complaint is necessary to get Microsoft to amend its practices. The
European Court of First Instance confirmed in September that
Microsoft has illegally tied Windows Media Player to
Windows.
"We are simply asking the Commission to apply these same, clear
principles to the Internet Explorer tie, a tie that has even more
profound effects on consumers and innovation."
A spokesperson for Microsoft said, "It is important to note that
computer users have complete freedom of choice to use and set as
default any browser they wish, including Opera, and PC
manufacturers can also preinstall any browser as the default on any
Windows machine they sell. Microsoft is committed to ensuring that
freedom through our Windows Principles. Internet Explorer has been
an integral part of the Windows operating system for over a decade
and supports a wide range of web standards. We will of course
co-operate with any inquiries into these issues, but we believe the
inclusion of the browser into the operating system benefits
consumers."