[FSFE PR][EN] FSFE to challenge Microsoft in its appeal against European Commission

[FSFEurope Press agency]

FSFE to challenge Microsoft in its appeal against European Commission

The European Commission sought to help the IT market grow in the best
possible way for consumers and citizens of the European Union with its
antitrust ruling against Microsoft.  

EU Commissioner Mario Monti imposed a penalty of nearly 500 millions
Euro and additional conditions. One of these is the publication of the
software interfaces. These informations are important for example to
the Free Software project SAMBA. SAMBA connects the UNIX and GNU/Linux
World with Microsofts operating systems. Via this gateway SAMBA
reduces customers addiction of the monoculture which is fostered by
the Redmond based software giant. Without the informations on the
interfaces SAMBA cannot work best.

Although it seems questionable whether that ruling would truly stop
the monopoly, Microsoft seems to be worried and has entered appeal
against it in front of the European Court.

After having participated as third party in the antitrust case before,
the Free Software Foundation Europe has participated to the
preliminary hearing on Tuesday 27th of July 2004 to enter court in
order to defend the decision of the European Commission and the
freedom to use Free Software SAMBA.

Among general interests of Free Software, the FSFE will specifically
be representing the interests of the SAMBA team, a Free Software
cooperation developing the only remaining competing implementation of
the SMB/CIFS protocols that permit interoperability between various
operating systems and the MS Windows family.

The Italian lawyer Carlo Piana, of the milanese firm Tamos Piana &
Partners, will represent the interests of FSF Europe and of SAMBA
team, the developers of the remaining competing implementation of the
SMB/CIFS protocols that permits interoperability between various
operating systems and the MS Windows family.  He commented: "FSFE
simply could not remain outside this litigation. The decision of the
Commission represents an important precedent which is of utmost
importance in the sofware market and for the whole society. Freedom,
not just money, is at stake.  I am therefore very proud of this
appointment".

"This case is about preserving the last remaining obstacle to total
Microsoft dominance of the Microsoft-compatible server market.  It is
not only about defending freedom for users, but mainly freedom of
businesses." says Georg Greve, president of the FSFE, adding "We call
on all businesses to support us in this struggle. Those who ignore
that call today have to expect to have only one choice to buy storage
and directory services from tomorrow.

Information about the FSFE fundraising campaign can be found at

   http://fsfeurope.org/news/2004/news-20040701.en.html
   http://fsfeurope.org/help/donate.en.html

More background information on the Microsoft investigation is available
on http://fsfeurope.org/projects/ms-vs-eu/ms-vs-eu.html

About the Free Software Foundation Europe

   The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSF Europe) is a charitable
   non-governmental organization 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 FSF Europe, which was founded in 2001 as the
   European sister organization of the Free Software Foundation in the
   United States.

   http://fsfeurope.org

Contacts:

   Georg C. F. Greve <greve at fsfeurope.org>
   Tel: +49-40-23809080
   Fax: +49-40-23809081

   Stefano Maffulli <maffulli at fsfeurope.org>
   Tel: +39 02 34 537 127
   Fax: +30 02 34 531 282
   Cel: +39 347 14 93 733

More information for the press available at
http://fsfeurope.org/press/