Will Apple and Opera Software be Sued?

By | January 19, 2009 | 24 Comments

Back in 2006 Google sued Microsoft for including its Live Search as a default search engine provider in Internet Explorer. Claiming that users should be able to “make choices” (even if that was few seconds job to change it). What I am more concerned is the fact that Microsoft is being sued all over when there is actually “a choice”.

But what about other companies? Well, let’s take a look to Apple and Opera Software this time.

Apple
Don’t their Mac OS have an operating system monopoly over Mac Computers?
Limiting web browsers “choice” on the iPhone.

Opera Software
It’s not possible to change the 1st search provider in the Opera Mini.

Are we back to medieval times yet?

[digg-reddit-me]


About (Author Profile)


Vygantas is a former web designer whose projects are used by companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and departed Westood Studios. Being passionate about software, Vygantas began his journalism carrier back in 2007 when he founded FavBrowser.com. Having said that, he is also an adrenaline junkie who enjoys good books, fitness activities and Forex trading.

  • erm

    I kinda doubt google will sue Opera for using google search…..

    Wonder how you define middle ages btw? There was no search engines back then… The only product you speak of that was in action back then was IE

  • http://www.favbrowser.com Vygantas Lipskas

    Just to clarify, what i mean’t was: “sued by other institutions”

    As for my last statement. Remember Robin Hood?

  • http://arestov.habrahabr.ru Gleb Arestov

    Opera? monopoly

    you can sued if you use monopoly in one place to get monopoly in other place

    guys from safari do many for web standarts, i don’t think that they blocking competition

  • K3M15A

    Damn it all man!

    Why should they be so sue-crazy?

    It only makes them look like whiny bitches. its how i felt about netscape at the time. its how i felt about real player, and even opera is now, a whiny bitch!

    Opera is too fine a product to make me not use it in protest but damn i go feel dirty all about it.

  • slackosoft

    @K3M15A

    Opera didn’t sue anyone. They reported illegal activity to the authorities.

    Reporting a crime is being a “whiny bitch”? Nice logic there.

  • slackosoft

    Is Vygantas trying to out-moron himself? Christ. Maybe he should stick to referring to other people’s analyses instead of writing these poor, ignorant, nonsensical texts that clearly show that he is clueless.

    “What I am more concerned is the fact that Microsoft is being sued all over when there is actually “a choice”.”

    Microsoft is not being sued. Opera didn’t sue anyone. They reported Microsoft to the authorities for breaking the law.

    Whether you think there is a choice or not does not change the fact that Microsoft broke the law.

    “Apple
    Don’t their Mac OS have an operating system monopoly over Mac Computers?
    Limiting web browsers “choice” on the iPhone.”

    Apple does not have a monopoly. Mac has, what, 5% market share?

    “Opera Software
    It’s not possible to change the 1st search provider in the Opera Mini.”

    Opera is not a monopoly either. Christ, are you completely thick?

    All that was done was to report to the authorities that Microsoft was breaking the law.

    Microsoft has also sent antitrust complaints about Google in the US and EU, and Google has done the same to Microsoft in the same areas.

  • http://www.favbrowser.com Vygantas Lipskas

    slackosoft,

    I never said Opera sued Microsoft.

    << Apple does not have a monopoly. Mac has, what, 5% market share?

    What other OS can Mac computer run?

    << Opera is not a monopoly either. Christ, are you completely thick?

    I never said it was.

  • Alex M

    From http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10144833-56.html

    1. EU and Korea force MS to offer Windows versions in their areas without Media Player in it. *Nobody* buys these versions. Yet MS has to take the costs to make them available.

    2. EU fined MS $794 million in 2004 over the media player bundling, and documentation of protocols/apis.

    3. In Dec. 2005 the EU started fining MS $2million per day for not providing protocol and api documentation. MS had already provided EU with the documentation, but the EU claimed that it was not sufficient.

    4. On July 12th 2006, the EU fined MS an additional $450 million for the same reason, and threatened to raise the fine to $4.8 million by July 31st if MS did not comply. That’s 19 days, FYI.

    5. On September 2007, the EU turned down MS’s appeal, and also ruled that MS would have to foot 80% of MS’s legal bills.

    6. On Feb 2008, the EU fined MS $1.44 Billion (with a ‘B’ this time – pls note) for non-compliance with the March 2004 ruling.

    7. Now, Opera has sued MS and is about to be gifted a nice pay day check courtsey of the EU.

  • slackosoft

    Evidently, Vygantas Lipskas is suffering from a massive lack of knowledge.

    Apple is not a monopolist, and neither is Opera.

    Microsoft is a monopolist. Monopolists play by different rules than other companies. Microsoft is also convicted of abusing its monopoly, which is illegal.

    Why is the title asking if Apple and Opera will be sued?

  • slackosoft

    “EU and Korea force MS to offer Windows versions in their areas without Media Player in it. *Nobody* buys these versions. Yet MS has to take the costs to make them available.”

    Indeed, that was a poor decision. Microsoft should have never been allowed to weasel their way out of it by offering both. Microsoft basically made every effort to make the special version without WMP as undesirable as possible.

    This time, the EU has probaby learned, so Microsoft will not be able to pull the same stunt again.

    “Now, Opera has sued MS and is about to be gifted a nice pay day check courtsey of the EU.”

    No, you ignorant fool. Opera has NOT sued Microsoft. Opera has reported Microsoft’s illegal activities to the EC. Opera will not make a single dime from this.

    What Opera has done is the equivalent of reporting a robbery to the police. The person witnessing the robbery does not make a single dime from it. He may be called as a witness, but all he did was to report a crime he observed.

    The rest of your post is irrelevant garbage which, at best, tries to portray Microsoft as a poor victim, when the fact is that Microsoft actively tried to game the system and play games, and refused to abide by the instructions from the EC.

  • K3M15A

    @slackosoft
    I never said a opera was suing anybody.. if you misconstrued it, I was talking about the EU.

    Opera’s part in it was whining about how bad Microsoft was being.

    And no one here is saying that microsoft should not be punished for whatever crime they committed, just that we would love the market deciding what software we have with our OS and not some court.

    And opera are still whiny-bitches, love their software but still whiny bitches

  • hello

    @K3M15A:

    1: Why is it “whining” to point out when someone is breaking the law?

    2: The market has failed due to Microsoft’s violations of the law. That is why there are antitrust laws, in order to ensure that the market can start working again.

    3: According to you, someone who reports a break-in in their neighborhood is a “whiny bitch”.

  • http://www.hyperborea.org/journal/ Kelson

    What other OS can Mac computer run?

    Linux and Windows, to name two examples. You can even run Linux on the older PowerPC-based Macs. I used to have a PowerBook that dual-booted Mac OS X and Yellow Dog Linux.

  • http://www.favbrowser.com Vygantas Lipskas

    slackosoft,

    Although I really don’t like IE, in this case I am for Microsoft.

    << Why is the title asking if Apple and Opera will be sued?

    By that I mean’t:: will any other institutions (as stated in 2nd comment) also investigate other companies, such as Apple and Opera. Sorry if title wasn’t clear and confused you.

    Kelson,

    Since I am not a Mac user. Is Safari pre installedin Mac OS?

  • hello

    @Vygantas Lipskas:

    Your question about Safari and Mac OS is completely irrelevant, and demonstrates your lack of understanding of this issue.

    Apple is not a monopoly. Bundling in itself isn’t bad, but it’s bad if it is done illegally, which Microsoft did by abusing their monpoly position in the market.

  • a

    neither Microsoft nor Apple or Opera did any monopolist action. you can buy windows will full feature and you can modify your needs FF or chrome (in terms of browsers) ……etc

    monopoly means that when someone force others to use his products. It is the responsibility of the user to know if there is an alternative to his pre-installed software. Look it Linux distros nowadays you will find complete operating system with pre-installed packages, Microsoft in this way can sue them.

    Tons of Open sourced and Freeware software can replace proprietary ones, in this way they will sue them all because they are going to destroy competitiveness, so why only Microsoft should be sued and others can be free?

    You can imagine another example about Google, anyone who search in this engine will notice Google is pre-direct its results towards its preference e.g. English results other than any other language in first pages (bias game). Isn’t it an information monopoly issue like Microsoft Softwares did?

  • hello

    @a: You are mistaken.

    1: Microsoft is a monopolist.

    2: Monopoly: “In economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos , alone or single + polein , to sell) exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient control over a particular product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other individuals shall have access to it.”

    3: Being a monopolist in itself is not necessarily bad. Abusing one’s monopoly status is, however, illegal, and is what Microsoft has done.

    If you believe that Google has a monopoly and has broken the law, go ahead and report them.

    Otherwise shut up and stop spewing out ignorant nonsense.

  • mabdul

    what about safari on the iphone?!? (or the nonexisting java on the iphone?) I mean apple could be sued, because they don’t allow opera to build a browser for the iphone…

  • hello

    @mabdul: Pay attention, FFS. Apple is not a monopoly.

  • http://sysadmin-hell.blogspot.com Simon

    Everyone’s queuing up to have a go at every feature of a Microsoft operating system beyond the most basic of pulses, it seems – in the name of customer choice. So if we get an O/S without a browser, without a Media Player – hell, without wordpad – is that going to be better for us as customers?

    I don’t think so.

    Good for the EU to fine the pants off MS, though, when its member states tax takes are falling and the bills keep adding up.

  • a

    this is stupid and unfair

    how can we download browser without browsing the net (by browser)
    what should Ms do for example but FF or Chrome insted of thier product ro please them.

    If I but compare between IE and chrome in google they will give me chrome bias resultes. this is kind of info monoploy

  • hello

    @a

    Are you the same “a” who posted on this exact same blog a few hours ago?

    If so, you have no excuse.

    How many times do people have to tell you that OEMs will preinstall a browser for you?

    MS doesn’t have to do anything. All they have to do is not include Windows, and OEMs, ISPs, etc. will take care of the browser part.

    “Chrome bias resultes”? LOL.

  • ARGH

    ->Simon

    Everyone is NOT queuing up to “have a go”. Microsoft broke the law. How bloody difficult of a concept is that to ignorant people like yourself?

    If someone is a serial rapist, are all his rape victims just “queuing up to have a go” for no reason what so ever? Get a damn clue.

    You are completely lost in your own ignorance of antitrust law, ignoring the fact that these antitrust things come up all the time. In the US as well. And notice how the WMP thing was up when everything was pointing UP? How do you explain that, you moron?

  • http://myopera.com/fatal FataL

    You can sue monopoly for this matter… Neither Apple or Opera is monopoly. :)

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