Real CEO says EU-MS ruling ‘right,’ may help lawsuit

With the sting of the European Commission’s antitrust ruling against Microsoft Corp. still fresh, RealNetworks Inc. head Rob Glaser appeared in London on Wednesday endorsing the Commission’s decision as more solid than the U.S. settlement, and predicting that it would aid his company’s private suit against the software giant.

“Our sense is that the Commission did the right thing for the right reasons,” Glaser told a handful of journalists at an event to launch international versions of the company’s RealPlayer 10 software.

‘The RealNetworks chairman and chief executive officer said that the Commission’s decision was especially important to his company because it is the first time that an antitrust ruling has been made concerning media players, given that the U.S. case against Microsoft centered around browsers and Java.

Real hopes that the decision will add fuel to a private suit it lodged against Microsoft last year, after the U.S. government settled its antitrust battle with the Redmond, Washington, company, in an agreement that some competitors saw as merely a slap on the wrist.

“Our lawyers tell me that (the Commission’s ruling) will strengthen our private suit,” Glaser said.

Real’s U.S. suit accuses Microsoft of using its monopoly powers to control the digital media market by forcing PC makers to include its Windows Media Player, while at the same time placing restrictions on competing players like Real’s.

Many of the concerns brought up by the private suit were addressed in the Commission’s decision late last month, in which it ruled that Microsoft must offer versions of its ubiquitous Windows operating system (OS) without bundling its Windows Media Player, giving original equipment manufacturers a choice over which player to provide. It also laid down rules that Microsoft must disclose details of interfaces used by its products to communicate with Windows and on Wednesday levied a

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now