Microsoft is a very aggressive company, but does it deserve what its getting from the EU? The EU is going too far when these kinds of lessons-learned arise for all American firms from Microsoft's experience w/ the EU antitrust-enforcers.

1. Know who you are taking to, especially if they (the EU) don't know what they're talking about.

2. A government that sees you on the ropes will want some of the action too, especially if it (the EU) has something to prove.

3. It does not matter who is right, when there is nobody to tell one side (the EU) it is wrong (and perhaps something worse).

4. Harm pertains not to the market nor consumers, but to competitors who see harm to them as injurious to innovation and society (uhh narcissism...).

5. It does not matter what you did or didn't do, if your competitors look good and the government does not care.

Perhaps the folks at Microsoft have a sense of humor, but some bottles of good scotch would help too.

Microsoft's weaknesses today become its priorities tomorrow. Microsoft will lend any priority the same aggressiveness with which it pushes business strategies. Corporations like Microsoft do not just compete in product/service markets, they also vie on public policy positions, citizenship and even hockey matches. Lets see how Microsoft steps out of the ring with the EU and the new priorities it seeks. All of a sudden, learning how to play with kangaroos does not sound too bizarre.

posted by Noel Le @ 10:54 PM | Markets: Business, Investment & Innovation

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