Ottawa Citizen: Parliamentary Library defies trade tribunal

[ Thanks to Milan Budimirovic for this link. ]

"...Mr. Lamothe spent nearly two years and $40,000 in legal fees to defend his complaint. His victory, in which the tribunal also ordered the library to pick up his legal costs, should have won him the right to submit a bid built on the Linux-based system his firm uses. Mr. Lamothe estimated the contract was worth between $120,000 and $180,000.

...But Mr. Lamothe argues the ruling sets a precedent for all federal departments buying computer services to "stop the Microsoft monopoly" and open competition to all vendors using recognized open standards.

"That ruling meant Parliament Hill will not be monopolized by the Microsoft behemoth," said Mr. Lamothe. "The tribunal's decision is a major legal victory for software that is based on open standards, open source code and free from the tyranny of proprietary monopoly. In other words, it's a victory for free and open competition in the marketplace."

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