Rivals Wants EU To Reconsider IE Ballot Screen Decision

While the European Commission is reportedly planning to wind up the long-standing antitrust case against Microsoft for bundling IE with Windows, rival web browsers are urging regulators not to approve the software maker’s proposed notion of web browser “ballot screen”.

The European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS), which includes representatives of some well known brands, such as IBM, Oracle, Red Hat, Opera, Adobe Sysytems, and Sun Microsystems, claimed that the concept of ballot screen is a sham and doesn’t present a satisfactory solution.

Expressing his discontent over the issue, Thomas Vinje, lawyer for ECIS, said the trouble is that the users who attempt to opt for a browser other than Microsoft’s IE are presented with a number of “threatening and confusing warnings and questions”.

Opera’s chief technology officer, Hakum Wium Lie, asserted that he was concerned that the EU might accept Microsoft’s plans without completely looking into its implications.

“We are also eager to close the case but we want to make sure the settlement is effective. We think the current solution on the table will not be an effective settlement”, Wium Lie said.

Criticisms from the ECIS could further trigger problems for the software giant, as it is hoping that it could sort out browser bundling case by presenting EU with browser ‘ballot screen’ proposals.