The EC assessed a $613 million fine against Microsoft last month and mandated that the company offer a version of Windows stripped of its digital media player. Microsoft has said it will appeal the ruling in the Court of First Instance. (See story.)
In anticipation of the release of a 300-page analysis by the EC of the case, Microsoft posted its own take on the issues. In it, the company argues that by forcing Microsoft to license its technology to competitors and strip some features from its operating system, the EC is "seeking to make new law that will have an adverse impact on intellectual property rights and the ability of dominant firms to innovate." For the full text, see the Microsoft Web site.
Some news organizations have apparently seen advanced copies of the EC document, see Bloomberg and The Inquirer.
Microsoft has maintained through this five-year EC process and before that in its epic antitrust battle with the U.S. Department of Justice, that companies must be free to innovate, i.e., add new features to products. Critics have argued that Microsoft adds such features--which often ape features pioneered by smaller companies--merely to neutralize competition.