25.04.2006 hearing of Microsoft before the European court has began

24th to 28th of April 2006
Presently Microsoft is cited before the European court of law in Luxemburg at the first instance. The European commission remitted the company additionally to a high fine with substantially conditions, but Microsoft resists against these conditions. 
The points are in the legal-proceeding fundamental contents as the opening of interfaces to enable variable possibilities when handling with software. Thus more competition develops. According to own statements the requirements of this kind are already falled in.
“In this process the point is on the one hand whether companies can improve their products by the development of new and from the consumer desired functions and on the other hand whether successful and innovative companies have to disclose their technolgies and their literary property against competitors”, Microsoft describes the process.
The European Union commission had intended the process after it had come to the opinion that Microsoft tries to expand their monopoly position in the client-range, on which the Media Player have access on server.
The disclosure of interfaces for a better interoperability of different system with each other is in the demanded measure for Microsoft absurd. The company referes to the IT-systems in big European companies: There is the software from Microsoft with products of other companies in use, what shows that the Windows Server Software is for many years already compatible with products of competitors.
Microsoft understands the disclosure of interfaces as an intervention in the own property-rights: “In this process the point at issue is if companies in Europe can be force to disclose their intellectual property, so that competitors can copy these technology and integrate them into competing products”, so Microsoft.