German Federal Cartel Agency Fines Microsoft

Apr 08, 2009

Microsoft Deutschland GmbH has been fined $9 million by the German Bundeskartellamt (cartel or anti-trust agency) for anticompetitive MS Office
pricing. Microsoft allegedly fixed a price at a retailer for its Office Home & Student 2007 product.

According to the federal agency, the Office Home & Student 2007 software was "heavily advertised in the autumn of 2008 in stationary retail outlets," among other things through a nationwide retailer by providing financial support. "Even before the launch of the advertising campaign in mid-October 2008, employees of Microsoft and the retailer in question had agreed on at least two occasions on the resale price of the software package."

Microsoft was accused of "actively trying to coordinate the pricing activities of the retailer" to determine its future actions. Microsoft accepted the fine, according to the agency announcement.

Related content

Comments

  • bastards

    only a dead micro$oft is a good micro$oft!
comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News