EC's Microsoft Fine Is More Like a Tariff

April 12, 2004 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - I'm sure we could find some excuse to levy a couple of $100 million fines on Italian clothes, French wines or German automobiles ["Microsoft: $610M EU Fine Too Big," QuickLink 45663]. A huge fine like the one the European Commission has levied against Microsoft sounds like a tariff, and the trouble with this kind of thing is that it sets off trade wars and other kinds of reprisals. The world has been down that path before; it never comes out positively.

It's time for the U.S. State Department to have some quiet, secret talks with those European folks. And if the discussions don't work, then we should fine the Italians, the Dutch, the Germans, etc., until we get the point across. Then everybody drops everything, we all shake hands again, and we get on with world business.

Richard Power

Attorney at law

Shingle Springs, Calif.

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