Spanish competition authority institutes proceedings against Microsoft

The Spanish authorities have instituted proceedings against the office of the software manufacturer Microsoft, located in Spain, and its European headquarter in Ireland. Microsoft is investigated because of violation of competition law and misfeasance of a market dominating position.

The software manufacturer is under a cloud to constrain and blockade the Spanish marketer of pre-owned software Elegant Business by anticompetitive behavior in distribution of pre-owned software licenses. It is assumed that Microsoft made the resale of operating system licenses difficult by illegal methods. The Spanish competition commission, Comisión Nacional de la Cempetencia (CNC), conveys this. In their writing they announce that there would be reasons for the assumption that Microsoft violates against 4 articles of the Spanish competition law.  According to this Microsoft would have constrained the resale of pre-owned software licenses illegally in case of conclusion of contracts. Microsoft may be sentenced a penalty for their behavior. The Spanish authority is going to analyze the case during the next 18 month.

 

You will find the notice of the Spanish competition commission CNC of September 20, 2011 here.

Click on the following link to read the whole article (in German): WinFuture

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