E-e-evil Microsoft?

(Via Drudge Report)

The EU (pronounced Ew-w-w!) has decided that Microsoft must, in effect turn over it’s intellectual property to rivals for free.

The Commission’s expert, who was suggested for the post by Microsoft, goes on to calculate that even an average royalty rate of 1 per cent would be unacceptable for licensees. Prof Barrett states that a 0 per cent royalty would be “better”.

I have no major love for Microsoft, but I’m not a Microsoft hater. I make my living in large part using their software, but I could do the same work with Macs or on open source. They’re just another vendor as far as I’m concerned.

However, this is just socialist BS. 0%?! What sort of drugs are they taking in the EU?

If I was Bill Gates, I’d tell them to go piss up a rope, and then pull out of every EU country. I’d put a block on sales, close the offices and support facilities, bar them from the MS web site and everything else I could think off. No support for any Microsoft software they own. Then I’d sit there and wait. If they come back to the table with something realistic, fine–we can talk. If they never come back, then that’s fine too. I don’t think Microsoft will go bankrupt over the loss.

You can’t do it too often, but sometimes you really do have to tell someone to take their business elsewhere.

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