Ballmer cancels plans, holds emergency talks with EU
WinNetMag | at | by Mike
Sources close to the talks say that EU officials are using an unusual and potentially effective negotiation strategy: Rather than offering to drop requirements, the EU is asking Microsoft to make more concessions in its settlement than the company would be forced to accept in a court ruling. This strategy stands in sharp contrast to the negotiation techniques the US Department of Justice (DOJ) employed when it essentially handed Microsoft a huge victory during its antitrust settlement, even though the software giant was thoroughly defeated in court and found to be an abusive monopolist. In one example of the EU's strategy that "The Wall Street Journal" cited, the EU's draft ruling stipulates that potential changes to Windows apply only to European markets but, for the settlement to be approved, the EU is requiring that Microsoft make the changes worldwide.