The EU won’t stand in the way of Microsoft & Friends acquiring Novell’s patent

[ Thanks to Steven J.
Vaughan-Nichols for this link. ]

“CPTN Holdings–a Microsoft-led group with
fellow-members Apple, EMC, and Oracle–isn’t just still try
buying Novell’s patents, the group’s patent acquisition attempt
recently received an OK from the European Commission (EC) vice
president and competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia.

“As Florian Mueller, an European intellectual property activist
pointed out in his blog, Emma McClarkin, a British conservative
from the East Midlands, asked the EC, on behalf of a constituent,
that they were concerned about “Microsoft recently purchasing a
large number of patents from Novell. This move strengthens the hold
Microsoft has over its competitors, which could potentially harm
consumer choice and increase prices. Is the Commission aware of
this situation? If so, does the Commission believe there have been
any infractions by Microsoft of EU competition laws?””

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