Windows release sparks complaints

Microsoft has stirred up fresh complaints of anti-competitive behaviour with its release this week of a late-stage trial version of the next Windows PC operating system.

The complaints, from some of the leading makers of web browsers, look set to intensify the software company’s regulatory headaches just as it is seeking to head off swingeing anti-trust action from the European Commission over a related issue.

The latest row has been stirred up by provisions in the next version of the operating system, known as Windows 7, which rivals say give an unfair advantage to Microsoft’s own browser.

Microsoft rejected the claims, and said the software was only
a test version aimed at a
limited experienced audience.

“Our initial review suggests this is a blatant use of the Windows operating system to change the market dynamics of browser usage,” said Mitchell Baker, chairwoman of Mozilla, the open-source organisation that produces the Firefox browser. “What we’ve seen so far is a clear example of why and how Microsoft’s Windows monopoly damages competition in related products.”

Her comments were echoed by Opera, the Norwegian browser company whose complaint to the EC has led regulators to a provisional finding against Microsoft.

“This issue highlights the problem with the browser market. It’s certainly something we would want to discuss,” said Hakon Wium Lie, Opera’s chief technology officer.

The complaints surfaced after Microsoft released a trial version of Windows 7 to the public on Tuesday. The software is due to go on sale and to be included in PCs before the end of this year.

Microsoft’s rivals claimed PC users who upgrading their machines to the new operating system have Microsoft’s own IE8 set as their default browser, even if they were previously using a different company’s software.

However, Microsoft indicated that this only applied to the recommended method of installing the test version of Windows 7, and was unrelated to the experience most users would have when the new operating system is officially released.

It remained unclear how this would affect European action against Microsoft, expected to come to a head soon. The Commission is objecting to Microsoft “tying” its browser to Windows, and proposed a “must-carry” rule to force the company to distribute rival browsers.

“We are concerned by what we’ve seen so far and continue to investigate,” said Ms Baker.