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Globalisation Institute

Policy Briefing

Unbundling Microsoft Windows
by Alex Singleton

Neelie Kroes, the European Commissioner for Competition, has suggested that in a competitive market there should be "a significant drop in market share" for Microsoft Windows, highlighting her frustration that the operating system market does not seem to foster competitive spirits. "Recent years have certainly seen innovation in high technology markets," Ms Kroes says, "but largely in areas that Microsoft does not control."

Thus far, the Commission has concentrated its antitrust action on Microsoft's server products and on the bundling of Windows Media Player with Windows. The Commission's success on 17 September 2007 in the European Court of First Instance, which upheld its antitrust action against Microsoft, will embolden the Commission's resolve on competition matters.