Opera files an anti-trust complaint against Microsoft

“We are filing this complaint on behalf of all consumers who are tired of having a monopolist make choices for them,” said Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner. The complaint comes after the European Commission confirmed a ruling in September that Microsoft had illegally bundled Windows Media Player with Windows, resulting in the introduction of special versions of Windows XP with it removed, for the European market.

The complaint asks the commission to consider the same treatment for Internet Explorer, as well as require Microsoft to adhere to “fundamental and open Web standards accepted by the web-authoring communities”.

However, Internet Explorer has been bundled with Windows since the release of Windows 95 over 12 years ago. Although the Opera browser has remained an underdog, the recent success of Firefox might weaken its case. An official response from Microsoft states that users are free to use any browser, and PC manufacturers also can preinstall any software, set it as default, and place icons for it on the desktop.

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