The European Union today threw down a $1.3B fine on Microsoft for their unfair pricing towards competitors for their software information.
EU regulators said the company charged “unreasonable prices” until last October to software developers who wanted to make products compatible with the Windows desktop operating system.
I’ll give you that Microsoft has strong-armed a variety of businesses and competitors when it comes to promoting their business. But there’s a part of me that says laws that require a company to make their intellectual property easy and cheap to obtain aren’t helping anyone.
If software companies don’t like how they have to pay to play with Microsoft then stop writing software for their machines. Start writing Linux or Apple software. Or just write web applications, or mobile applications, or develop your own OS and start writing applications for that.
I’m sure I’m oversimplifying everything, but I’m just a regular guy that thinks there are a bunch of whiners saying someone’s not “playing fair”. Like a kid on the playground. As I would tell my own kids. Ignore the whiney kids and or shut-up if you’re the one whining and go play by yourself.
I also don’t want to sound like I’m against international business and trade, but the seeming power that the EU holds over Microsoft is annoying me as well. If I were Microsoft, I’d pull everything out of Europe for a couple of years and see what happens.
Will this additional fine impact Microsoft’s ongoing offer for Yahoo!?
Source: EU fines Microsoft record $1.3B
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