ACT Announces it Will Not Appeal European Court Ruling in Microsoft Case

ACT Announces it Will Not Appeal European Court Ruling in Microsoft Case

Organization will Look Toward a Constructive Dialogue Rather than Further Litigation to Answer Open Questions

Brussels – Today the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) announced it will not appeal the ruling by the Court of First Instance (CFI) to uphold the majority of the European Commission’s 2004 antitrust decision against Microsoft.  After a long review of the CFI ruling, ACT decided that a litigation strategy would not be the best means for answering the industry’s outstanding questions about the decision and the long term implications for the technology industry.

“ACT has decided not to appeal the CFI’s ruling on the European Commission’s 2004 antitrust case against Microsoft.  We believe that a constructive dialogue with the Commission rather than new litigation will be the best option for addressing the industry’s outstanding questions,” said Jonathan Zuck, president of the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT).

ACT intervened in Microsoft’s appeal of the 2004 antitrust decision on behalf of its 3000 members worldwide.  ACT was very concerned about the long term implications of the decision on small and mid-size software developers, incentives for innovation, and the protection of intellectual property.

The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) is an international education and advocacy group for the technology industry. Focusing on the interests of small and mid-size entrepreneurial technology companies, ACT advocates for a “Healthy Tech Environment” that promotes innovation, competition and investment. ACT has been active on issues such as intellectual property, international trade, e-commerce, privacy, internet policy and antitrust. ACT represents more than 3000 software developers, systems integrators, IT consulting and training firms, and e-businesses from around the world.