Microsoft was again investigated by the EU

On January 14, the EU said it had restarted the investigation of Microsoft over allegations that the company misused its monopoly position in the market to suppress other software and browser rivals.

According to EU representatives, the organization reopened two formal investigations aimed at Microsoft. This is considered the first move after the court's decision four months ago to support the EU in a persistent legal "war" between the organization and Microsoft.

As for Microsoft, the company said it will fully cooperate with the EU investigation, and will provide any and all necessary information. " We are committed to ensuring that Microsoft will fully comply with European law, and will implement the commitments made by the European Court of First Instance in September 2007. "

EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said he could not provide a specific timeframe for the new investigation. He said making penalties fast or slow depends on the complexity of the problem, and the cooperation that the agency receives from Microsoft.

Although the EU does not specifically name Microsoft's latest operating system - Windows Vista, it is likely that some features of this operating system, namely Desktop search, will be investigated.

The first new investigation, initiated by Opera Software ASA (Norway), will find out whether Microsoft will separate IE from Windows. The Open once petitioned the EU to ask Microsoft to allow replacing a browser other than IE into Windows. The EU has also received accusations that Microsoft has illegally packaged Desktop Search and Windows Live tools into the Vista operating system.

The second investigation will find out if Microsoft provides the necessary information so that competitors' products can be compatible with its software (including Word, Excel, and administration tools). management, some server products, and .Net platform).

Since Microsoft provides software for office and home computers, its rivals have always complained that the company has refused to provide compatible information so they can reach the big market.

The EU said it is considering a petition of a group of companies represented by IBM, Nokia, Sun, RealNetwork and Oracle, thus requiring Microsoft to use an exclusive role to bring Vista into the Internet market. new.

At the same time, the EU will also investigate whether Office Open XML, the standard used by governments and large businesses to store old documents, is " fully compatible with rival products." ".

In March 2004, the EU fined Microsoft $ 613 million, and forced the company to share its source code information to rival products. Microsoft later appealed and petitioned the European Court of Justice, but eventually failed on September 17, 2007.

Van Han