Google's strength is part of Microsoft's defensive strategy
According to reliable information , Microsoft lawyers are going to apply at the next hearing a new (and simply deadly) argument in the antitrust process that is going against Microsoft in the European Union. As you know, this process was initiated by Opera in December 2007 , and it is associated with the requirement to introduce alternative browsers to the Windows distribution under equal conditions with IE. Later, all major competitors of Microsoft, including Google, Sun, Nokia, IBM, Adobe, Red Hat and Corel, joined the requirements of Opera and at the first stage agreed with the point of view of developers of alternative browsers. Now there is a second stage of the process - familiarity with the position of the defendant, that is, Microsoft itself.
So, Microsoft is preparing to use a new argument in its defense: they say, if they comply with the requirements of the European Union, this will strengthen Google’s monopoly position in the search advertising market on the Internet. The fact is that alternative browsers (especially Firefox and Chrome) earn on Google ad displays. Accordingly, the slightest departure from IE supposedly strengthens the monopoly of Google. And this is really a serious argument, which is hard to argue.
Another Microsoft argument is the fact that the share of IE is gradually falling ( already 66.8% ), despite its current “monopoly” position within Windows (90% of the total PC market). Even the leadership of the Mozilla project predicts that while maintaining the current trend, Firefox will be equal to IE in January 2013. By the way, the prosecution is preparing to submit statistics on which the share of IE is actually higher and in Europe is 85%.
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That is, statistics on the decline in the share of IE, which we all rejoice, in fact, can be paid for by Microsoft itself.
The next round of hearings on the antitrust process will be held in June 2009 in Brussels. Past similar hearings about the inclusion of Windows Media Player in the OS lasted nine years and ended in a fine of more than 1 billion euros. In the new case, penalties may be even more, as Microsoft has already warned its shareholders.
via NY Times
So, Microsoft is preparing to use a new argument in its defense: they say, if they comply with the requirements of the European Union, this will strengthen Google’s monopoly position in the search advertising market on the Internet. The fact is that alternative browsers (especially Firefox and Chrome) earn on Google ad displays. Accordingly, the slightest departure from IE supposedly strengthens the monopoly of Google. And this is really a serious argument, which is hard to argue.
Another Microsoft argument is the fact that the share of IE is gradually falling ( already 66.8% ), despite its current “monopoly” position within Windows (90% of the total PC market). Even the leadership of the Mozilla project predicts that while maintaining the current trend, Firefox will be equal to IE in January 2013. By the way, the prosecution is preparing to submit statistics on which the share of IE is actually higher and in Europe is 85%.
')
That is, statistics on the decline in the share of IE, which we all rejoice, in fact, can be paid for by Microsoft itself.
The next round of hearings on the antitrust process will be held in June 2009 in Brussels. Past similar hearings about the inclusion of Windows Media Player in the OS lasted nine years and ended in a fine of more than 1 billion euros. In the new case, penalties may be even more, as Microsoft has already warned its shareholders.
via NY Times
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/59676/
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