But applying them can still be tricky, especially as the antitrust battle has shifted from browsers to the far more complex world of web search engines. It remains to be seen whether behavioural remedies can be policed when services are constantly changed in real time. Yet there will be no chance to find out if the commission’s response to Microsoft fails to produce a robust outcome.
但和解协议的执行却仍较为困难,特别是当反垄断大战的战场已从网络浏览器领域转移至更复杂的网络搜索引擎领域时。在网络服务不断实时变化的情况下,约束企业行为的监管要求的执行情况能否得到有效监控,这仍有待观察。但目前已经没有机会再去查明欧盟委员会对微软的裁决是否未能产生良好效果。
Nevertheless, this should not be disproportionate. Even in classic infringement cases, the commission does not normally exercise its right to levy a fine of 10 per cent of revenue. In this case, Microsoft quickly admitted guilt, and said technical mistakes were to blame. This will have to be established in the coming weeks. But if Brussels finds that the breach resulted from incompetence rather than a deliberate violation, this should be taken into account to mitigate any fine. Either way, Microsoft’s credibility is damaged.
但不管怎样,处罚内容都应当与违规行为相匹配。即便是在典型的违规案件中,欧盟委员会通常都不会动用其权力、对一家企业处于占其营收规模10%的罚款。在此案中,微软迅速承认了自己的过失,并表示技术问题是原因所在。微软必须在未来几周里证明这一解释的合理性。但如果欧盟委员会认为违反和解协议是由于能力不足而非故意违反,则欧盟方面在设定罚款金额时应将这一点纳入考虑,从轻发落。但不论是哪种情况,微软的信誉都已蒙受损失。
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