Microsoft has steadily been soliciting supporters of the European Commission antitrust case to withdraw their support for the Commission by offering a series of financial settlements. The agreement with Sun Microsystems to withdraw has now been joined by financial settlements with Novell and the CCIA, in which they also agreed to withdraw from the case.
In light of these developments, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) reaffirms its determination to support the European Commission in the landmark antitrust case, in which a decision is expected soon.
The list of supporters of the European Commission may be getting shorter, but the FSFE and Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) are still participating in the case, and fighting on behalf of European consumers. The FSFE's commitment to the case and its support of the Commission is not undermined by the recent developments.
"There is not enough money in the world to buy our withdrawal from this case. My client did not join this case in mere self-interest. Our goal is to help the Commission restore some of the freedoms of the market and restore the competition that was lost in previous years", explains Carlo Piana, who represents the FSFE in this case.
"We believe that in cooperation with the SAMBA team we have done a very good job so far and we will continue our effort for the sake of those who are apparently all too easily forgotten -- the Free Software developers and European customers.", adds Georg Greve, president of the Free Software Foundation Europe.
Georg Greve points out: "We are financed purely by donations, and are engaged in this struggle as we believe this is the right thing to do for our supporters and for Europe. We will not give up this fight."
"For the Samba Team, this case is about leveling the playing field, and encouraging Microsoft to use Royalty-free Open Public Standards in its products" said Volker Lendecke & John Terpstra of the Samba Team. "We fully support the FSFE and the European Commission in this case, and will continue to provide direct evidence of how Microsoft has used its monopoly to obstruct software interoperability and damage the competitive landscape in Europe."
[1] http://www.novell.com/news/press/archive/2004/11/pr04076.html [2] http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/53028
FSFE members are available for interviews and further details.
About the Free Software Foundation Europe:
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a charitable non-governmental organisation dedicated to all aspects of Free Software in Europe. Access to software determines who may participate in a digital society. Therefore the Freedoms to use, copy, modify and redistribute software - as described in the Free Software definition- allow equal participation in the information age. Creating awareness for these issues, securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues of the FSFE. The FSFE was founded in 2001 as the European sister organisation of the Free Software Foundation in the United States.
Further information: http://www.fsfeurope.org
Press Speaker:
Joachim Jakobs <jj at office.fsfeurope.org> Cell: +49-179-6919565
Other Contacts:
Georg C. F. Greve <greve at fsfeurope.org> Tel: +49-40-23809080 Fax: +49-40-23809081
Stefano Maffulli <maffulli at fsfeurope.org> Cel: +39 347 14 93 733