Earlier Developments

In August, an open letter was sent to the Honourable Brian Tobin, Minister of Industry pointing to the court decisions in the United States, which established various infringements of that country's Sherman Act, and enquiring whether there is to be an investigation of the company's conduct in Canada.

This was followed by an email message which provided supplementary information and by other representations.

Recent developments

Microsoft is soon to introduce its XP operating system as its latest enhancement to Windows 95.  As part of this process, it has introduced rules with respect to the placement of icons on the user's desktop.  These rules would appear to be intended to give Microsoft services a competitive advantage over the services available from other vendors.  Thus the Competition Bureau of Canada should investigate to determine whether this sort of conduct is compatible with Canadian law.

Other Information

26-Oct-98    The Ayn Rand Institute defends Microsoft.

11-Nov-99    York U. Analysts Assess Microsoft Decision and Industry Repercussions in Canada and Globally.

02-Jun-00    Canada urging Microsoft to move north - this was a good rumour to float, to put brakes on the American Department of Justice.  It was soon denied.

03-Jun-00    Denial of the move north report - one day of exposure is enough.

17-Jun-00    Microsoft claims to be Number 1 Online

10-Oct-00    Some American thoughts on the significance of Microsoft's infusion of cash into Corel.

12-Nov-00    A strident supporter of Microsoft.

24-Nov-00    The Enforcers - an overview of competition enforcement in Canada.

14-Feb-01    Microsoft's link to Corel probed.

15-Feb-01    Trustbusters Zero In On Microsoft Again

18-Apr-01    Microsoft agrees not to influence technology decisions
                     of European digital cable operators

01-Jun-01    Eric S. Raymond, a respected American writer and proponent of Open Source, questions the truthfulness of a Microsoft spokesperson: Microsoft and the Big Lie.

10-Jun-01    John Naughton, of the Observer reports that Tony's Microsoft spot for Bill leaves rest of us out in the cold
                    It seems that Britain also has unbalanced procurement policies.

03-Jul-01    Rivals fear Microsoft's authentication service could make the software giant the one and only centralized power on the Web

04-Jul-01    Has Microsoft got away with it? - a discussion initiated by the BBC News Online.

11-Jul-01    Microsoft makes minor concession with respect to Windows XP.

16-Jul-01    Microsoft still struggling with Windows XP download

24-Jul-01    Sen. Charles Schumer of New York demands changes in Microsoft Windows XP.

24-Jul-01    Two improper procurement cases,  by public Canadian agencies, which favoured Microsoft.

30-Jul-01    Microsoft's news network releases information about the XP Icon Rules.

30-Jul-01    Microsoft requires MSN Icon on Windows XP desktop.

30-Jul-01    MS Amends Icon Position

31-Jul-01    Competitors say Microsoft is playing bait-and-switch with its agreement to allow competitors' icons on desktops. This report also gives useful links.

01-Aug-01    Abstracts of various American papers dealing with the economic impact of the Microsoft Antitrust Case.

02-Aug-01    Microsoft's Icon Demand Could Land XP in Court.

03-Aug-01    European Commission opens proceedings against Microsoft's
                     alleged discriminatory licensing and refusal to supply software
                     information

15-Aug-01    Privacy group attacks Windows XP, Passport.

16-Aug-01    Privacy advocates claim that the Microsoft Passport constitutes and "unfair and deceptive" trade practice.  The text of the submission to the American Trade Commission is available in PDF .

24-Aug-01    The lesson from the failure of Be:

                           "Don't bother trying to create a better commercial
                            desktop OS — it doesn't matter how hard you try, how many
                            engineers you throw at the problem, how much money you
                            spend, or how many years you put into it. Microsoft owns that
                            space and, worse, the public is totally complicit with that fact.
                            People will not stop using Windows. It is a losing battle."
 

In the same article, Scot Hacker comments on the lack of freedom of choice for the American customer with respect to the operating system available to him/her.  The article also points to the failure of the United States Department of Justice to pursue the issue of the monopolization of the desktop.

29-Sep-01    Corel discloses that Microsoft is prepared to unload the 24 million shares in Corel. which it acquired in October 2000.  Such an unloading would undoubtedly destabilize Corel.

30-Aug-01    European Commission initiates additional proceedings against Microsoft

30-Aug-01    European Union regulators expand investigation into Microsoft's dominance of the operating systems market.

04-Sep-01    A Review of Windows XP.

05-Sep-01    An example of the Open Source community versus Microsoft interaction, with a Mexican flavour, is reported as Ximian's Volunteer 'Army' Fights Microsoft on Open-Source Code.

06-Sep-01    Microsoft Antitrust Case: An Update on the Company's Lobbying and Campaign Contributions in the United States.

11-Sep-01    A response from Microsoft Canada regarding the Microsoft Monopoly, this is followed by an interview with Professor Michael Geist and Jim Carroll - source CBC Magazine.

18-Sep-01    Horst Prillinger in Austria provides a collection of links to derogatory information about Microsoft.

19-Sep-01    George Lessard, reporting Nunavut to CPI-UA, says, in response  to an enquiry about the positions of various levels of government with respect to Open Source, "Not in Nunavut... here our government's IT Dept (we call 'em something else... but this is a public channel) in 100 percent Microsoft...... and currently 100 percent down due to the current virus attack..".

20-Sep-01    Nimda takes down New Brunswick government

21-Sep-01    The Microsoft Nimda virus spreads.

21-Sep-01    Microsoft attempts to limit fair comment on the quality of its products.

22-Sep-01    Microsoft about to respond to gov't plan to rip the company in two

27-Sep-01    The New York Observer speculates about the source of the rumour that Microsoft would move north to the safe haven of Canada.  It includes a comment from André Lafond, deputy commissioner of the Civil Matters branch at the Canadian Competition Bureau.

27-Sep-01    The Globe and Mail reports on the Microsoft worm plague.  "Microsoft said Monday that it would be foolish for users to think that they would be any safer using other products."

27-Sep-01    An update to information about the Microsoft Nimda Worm, which appears to have clogged communication for some days by generating duplicate messages and overloading many systems.

28-Sep-01    A Washington judge sets a deadline for the parties to agree on remedies.

18-Oct-01    A Good Time to be a Monopoly - a comment on the Microsoft quarterly results.

19-Oct-01    The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Microsoft's appeal.

24-Oct-01    An economic analysis of open source: with reference to the Microsoft Monopoly

25-Oct-01    Microsoft Network (MSN) blocks access by non-Microsoft browsers and then relents.

Unknown    Timothy Macinta, a Boston area software engineer, provides a commentary on various aspects of Microsoft software.

Unknown    Tom Nadeau, a Tennessee electrical engineer, answers the Microsoft apologists.  In an email message, he says "I think they have many brilliant minds, but they are obsessed with eliminating alternatives.".
 

The XP rules Microsoft intends to enforce

Microsoft will allow computer makers to put icons for competing  products on the desktop of its new computer operating system as long as they plug Microsoft's MSN Internet service as well. See.

Computer  manufacturers they have two choices for how they configure Windows XP, due out Oct. 25. They can either ship computers with a desktop free of any icons, or they can add as many icons as they want, but only if they also include an icon for Microsoft's MSN Internet access.

As a result of a court ruling in the U.S., computer manufacturers are no longer required to install the Internet Explorer, but this ruling does not necessarily affect Canada or other countries.  See.

Updated 28-Oct-01
cjw