Brussels, 19/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - CCIA (Computer & Communications Industry Association) has firmly denounced new practices developed by the American group, Microsoft, to avoid losing contracts involving its Windows system. This information was revealed last week by The International Herald Tribune according to which Microsoft has developed a slush fund for use when it finds itself in competition with Linux in order to keep contracts. According to the daily, the former Microsoft official for world sales, Orlando Ayala, had authorised sales directors to use this special fund in order to enable deep discounts or even giveaways. In a press release, the CCIA firmly condemns this strategy. According to Ed Black, CCIA President, this practice is "evidence of clear violations of European, US and other laws against predatory pricing". Mr Black says Microsoft "has created a worldwide strategy to employ the massive monopoly rents it has collected through years of anticompetitive conduct to exclude competition from Linux in the market for server software". The CCIA demands that Microsoft "immediately" inform the European and US competition authorities of its practices into which further investigation will be made.
We recall that the CCIA, a commercial organisation grouping around a dozen companies active in the information technology sector, filed a 260-page complaint in February against anti-competitive Microsoft practices, a complaint which comes in addition to the already voluminous dossier compiled by the Commission over nearly three years now.