Acton on the EU's Microsoft verdict:

Letter from Turin: The EU’s Immoral Case Against Microsoft

by Alberto Mingardi

Last week, European Union commissioner Mario Monti inflicted a € 497 million fine on Microsoft -- the highest fine in the history of European antitrust regulation. The case against Microsoft was waged, in Europe as it was in the United States, by its competitors. What these companies don’t want is for Microsoft to “prevent” them from succeeding in the European market. What competitors really fear is Microsoft’s ability to satisfy consumers better than they do, at a cheaper price.