Microsoft is being sued by South Korea, Japan, the European Union, the US, and many other countries for monopoly.
When Microsoft was sued for monopoly, it was because they bundled Internet Explorer. Now, they are bundling MSN and Video Player. This phenomenon is not only happening to Hua Xia. Microsoft is doing the same all over the world.
When they bundled Internet Explorer, Microsoft's excuse was that the users need a browser, and they are only providing it for free. If the users do not like it, they can choose not to use it.
But in Microsoft's system, Internet Explorer cannot be uninstalled or deleted. That's why Microsoft's excuse is not accepted.
In 1997, Microsoft was sued in the US because of this. In the end, Microsoft agreed to pay more than 1 billion USD in vouchers for the users' forgiveness.
If the vouchers are not used up by the users, most of the vouchers will be donated to some public schools, and the schools must use half of the vouchers to buy Microsoft products.
On the surface, Microsoft might have lost the lawsuit, but it had strengthened its monopoly. They had even started to cultivate their loyalty to Microsoft products from a young age.
Apple and other companies objected to this ruling, and many states in the US refused to accept this ruling. They will continue to sue Microsoft.
This year, the European Union and Microsoft went to court again over the monopoly issue. Both parties had been negotiating for five years, but Microsoft had gained full control of the market over the past five years.
Going to court is not a problem for Microsoft. Not only will it attract the media's attention, but it can also buy time for Microsoft to continue selling their software.
Microsoft might be fined in the end, but it is nothing. Compared to their profits, the fines are nothing. Even if the fines are higher than their profits from Internet Explorer, they will still be able to squeeze out their competitors and increase their market share. They will earn back the fines in two to three years.
Microsoft had increased their market share in the IT developed countries by bundling their software. This caused many countries to be unhappy with them.
The European Union rejected Microsoft's request to delay negotiations and decided to impose a monopoly on Microsoft. The European Union fined Microsoft 500 million Euros, which is equivalent to 670 million USD.
At the same time, the European Union ordered Microsoft to remove the bundled software from Windows and release some of the source codes of their related software, including Office, to their competitors.
Although Microsoft appealed, it was rejected.
If it were not for this, Microsoft's activation code would not be updated to a universal version so quickly.
After the European Union won, South Korea, Japan, etc. started to sue Microsoft for monopolization. The US also started to sue Microsoft for monopolization.
But Hua Xia, Microsoft's most important market, did not say anything.
Hua Xia's anti-monopoly draft had just been released, and there had been no relevant laws before this. Naturally, there was no way to pursue responsibility. Furthermore, Hua Xia did not pay enough attention to this aspect. She had never thought of suing foreign companies.
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"What did you say? You want us to sue Microsoft for monopolization?" Committee Member Bao was shocked.
"That's right, we can fine them. Look at the news from the European Union. The fine is close to 500 million euros. If it's based on population, we can also fine you 500 million euros. If it's based on sales, the fine won't be too low either. At the very most, tens of millions of euros is still possible. "Feng Yu tempted.
"How much? At least tens of millions of euros? But I don't think this is a good idea. Microsoft had just invested 1 billion USD in Hua Xia. "Committee Member Bao hesitated.
Wasn't this a little too unkind? They had just invested in Hua Xia, and you want to fine them? This is not fair.
"Committee Member Bao, investment is investment, and breaking the law is against the law. Are we not going to punish them just because they had invested in Hua Xia? Also, don't you think if we sue Microsoft, those foreign companies will know that Hua Xia is not a place where they can do whatever they want? "
"Furthermore, South Korea and Japan are suing Microsoft. Why can't we sue them? Even the US, where Microsoft is based, is suing them. "
"Ah? The US is also suing Microsoft? Isn't Microsoft a US company? "Committee Member Bao was confused.
Just like Hua Xia's Lenovo Kingsoft. Hua Xia's government is helping Hua Xia, and why would they sue them?
"Microsoft is not the only software company in the US. There are also Apple, IBM, etc. But Microsoft's Windows operating system is the best. Think about it. The US had already punished them, and why should we stand on ceremony? If the neighboring South Korea, Japan, and even the Commonwealth of Independent States also sue us, and we did not, what will happen? "
"At that time, the internet will say that our Hua Xia government is too weak and cannot be compared to Japan. Oh, I had already hired a lawyer. He is the one who helped CCTV to sue those companies with false advertisements. "
"General Manager Feng, tell me the truth. Why are you so eager to sue Microsoft? Is it because you and Microsoft are competitors? "Committee Member Bao looked at Feng Yu.
"If you put it this way, then there is nothing to talk about. Whether we are suing Microsoft or not, we are still competitors. Also, if Microsoft is fined, we will not get a single cent. Furthermore, although I own Lenovo Kingsoft's shares, it is not a lot. Lenovo Kingsoft's profits are below average among my subsidiaries. "
Feng Yu pretended to be shocked and continued: "I am doing this for the sake of the country. Look, Microsoft had suddenly acquired most of the software companies in China. They are trying to monopolize the market. Some overseas software companies had also used this opportunity to acquire some software companies. Our Chinese software market will be controlled by them. "
"Microsoft's branch in Hua Xia is only second to their US branch. This shows how much they value Hua Xia's market. Also, Microsoft had been sued for monopolization, and they had paid a lot of fees. Most of the cases were settled out of court. But in Hua Xia, we must not settle. We must show our anti-monopoly attitude! "
Committee Member Bao rolled his eyes. This Feng Yu wants to teach me how to do things? Everything depends on the law.
"Are you sure we can win?" It will be too embarrassing if they sue someone else and lose.
"Of course. We will win. If it is some other countries, Microsoft will be fined, and we can do whatever we want in Hua Xia. Don't you think it will be a disgrace to Hua Xia? We are a superpower, and we must act like one! "
… …
Three days later, Hua Xia's Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for monopolization and asked the court to impose a fine of 2.3 billion RMB on Microsoft!
This news caused an uproar on the internet.
This was the first time Hua Xia's government had imposed such a high fine, and it was a foreign company!
… …
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