The European Commission has recognized the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) as an interested third party in opposition to the Commission's Statement of Objections regarding Microsoft's actions in the browser market.
While we're happy that the Commission granted us the opportunity to represent our 3000 members in this process, we are concerned about this case and the effects some of the remedy proposals might have on our membership.
First, there is something surreal about the entire concept of this complaint. Not only has the same case already been adjudicated in the US, but Microsoft's Internet Explorer is no longer even the number #1 browser in Europe, let alone the dominant one. According StatCounter, Firefox 3 is now the most used browser in Europe. A market where the dominant player can lose 30-50 percent of its worldwide market share in a few short years is an incredibly dynamic market.
Additionally, the Commission's supporters are looking at options for remedying the current market dynamics that would harm developers working on the Microsoft platform. The code which comprises Internet Explorer includes functionality that many developers take advantage of through Application Programming Interfaces or API's. If this code is removed, it could force many developers to rewrite and retest their applications.
We look forward to learning more about the concerns of the Commission and its allies in this case. At this point, however, they do not seem to have a compelling argument.