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NEW EC REGULATOR OBJECTIONS IN MICROSOFT CASE
DISPUTE FOCUSES ON INNOVATION IN LICENSED TECHNOLOGIES
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In this issue of the FINFlash Update...
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LEAD STORY: EUROPEAN OFFICIALS QUESTION VALUE OF MICROSOFT’S INNOVATIONS
On March 1, 2007, European Commission (EC) competition regulators issued a new “Statement of Objections” (SO) against Microsoft, alleging that the company is overcharging for communications protocol technology being licensed under a March 2004 EC mandate. European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said, “The Commission's current view is that there is no significant innovation in these protocols” and therefore Microsoft can only charge a nominal fee under European competition law. Microsoft disputes this point, noting that the technology in question has been awarded at least 36 patents in the U.S. and Europe, with another 37 pending. The company is expected to make a formal response to the SO within days.
Read more
www.betanews.com/article/EU_Threatens_to_Fine_Microsoft_for_Lack_of_Innovation/1172764299
INTEROP NEWS: ISO STANDARDIZATION OF OPEN XML MOVES FORWARD
Earlier this month, the Joint Technical Committee of the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), announced that Open XML file formats have been put on a fast-track voting schedule to become an ISO standard. Open XML is the default file format used by the 2007 Microsoft Office system, and the technology was approved as a standard by standards-body Ecma International last year. Any company can now build products to the standard, and ISO standardization will promote adoption of the technology by government and the private sector.
Read more...
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070313-microsoft-office-xml-gets-fast-tracked-to-iso-standard.html
IP NEWS: GOOGLE ASSAILED FOR ALLEGED MISUSE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS
While technology company Google has grown rapidly in the last several years, many companies and organizations allege that the search giant is advancing its business by violating intellectual property (IP) laws. On March 6, 2007, Microsoft Associate General Counsel Thomas C. Rubin told the Association of American Publishers (AAP) that Google Book Search “systematically violates copyright” by scanning the full text of books without permission. Microsoft has a book-scanning project as well (Live Search Books), but this project only scans books in the public domain or with publishers’ permission. Google is now facing copyright infringement lawsuits from the AAP and the Authors Guild, as well as from media company Viacom for infringement by Google’s video-sharing site, YouTube.
Read more...
http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/netsys/article.php/3666561
Read Thomas Rubin’s Speech
www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/trubin/03-05-07AmericanPublishers.mspx
WINDOWS VISTA HIGHLIGHT: WINDOWS AERO USER INTERFACE
Editor’s Note: Windows Vista, the next generation of Microsoft’s flagship operating system, reached consumers worldwide in January of this year. For the last eight months, we’ve been highlighting features of Windows Vista in the FINFlash Update. This will be the last highlight.
Available on compatible PCs running most versions of Windows Vista, Windows Aero is the operating system’s high-performance, visually stunning new user interface. At its heart, Windows Aero improves your ability to manage your desktop display. Translucent windows, live thumbnail taskbar images, Windows Flip 3D and other features enable you to rapidly find and select the window you want, as well as view multiple applications at the same time. The stability and reliability of Windows Aero also prevents display errors associated with other user interfaces.
Read more...
www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/aero.mspx
TECH TIP: FIND A PARTNER FOR E-FILING YOUR TAX RETURN
The weather is warming, trees are flowering and taxes are coming due. Yes, April 15 is bearing down on taxpayers in the United States, but it’s easy to file online. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides a list of service partners and software to make the task easier. As with any online transaction, be cautious and do not respond to unsolicited emails (spam) offering tax services. For the IRS list of e-file partners, visit:
www.irs.gov/efile/lists/0,,id=101223,00.html
TAKE THE NEW TECH TRIVIA CHALLENGE
The FIN’s Tech Trivia question that tests your knowledge -- or online searching ability. (Try Windows Live Search at www.live.com/.)
Industry standards change and advance with innovation. Early computers and data processors read digital information from standardized punch cards. What was the first U.S. government use of punch cards?
- Civil War pensioner tabulation
- 1890 national census
- First modern U.S. income tax collection (1913)
- World War I ballistics calculations
- Tariff calculations under Smoot-Hawley
To submit your answer and view the answer to the previous question, visit
www.freetoinnovate.com/ssl/techTrivia.asp
THE FIN PULSE
The FIN Pulse is an informal online poll that lets FIN members see how others use technology and think about policy issues.
What types of video programming have you watched over the Internet?
Go to www.freetoinnovate.com to participate in the FIN Pulse.
Do you have a great tech trivia question that will stump FIN members? Send it to us (together with a verifiable answer by emailing msfin@microsoft.com.
For Top Stories and Tech Headlines, updated weekly, visit the FIN Web site:
www.microsoft.com/freedomtoinnovate/
And remember, it’s never too late to write your legislators to let them know what issues are important to you. To identify and email your legislators, visit: www.freetoinnovate.com
Need help writing your legislator? You can find tips for communicating with legislators, along with news, tech policy information and more, at the Freedom to Innovate Network Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/freedomtoinnovate/
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