微软在华IE捆绑遭重点调查

    周二，国际媒体报道援引一位中国高级官员的话称，中国对微软公司的反垄断调查专注于软件捆绑问题，而此前微软也因同样的问题在西方碰到了麻烦。

    据路透社（Reuters）援引中国反垄断监察机构负责人张茂（音译）的话称，他们怀疑微软的Windows和Office软件销售信息不够透明。

    具体而言，国家工商行政管理总局关注的是IE浏览器和Windows媒体播放器这些基本功能与Office办公软件的捆绑方式。

    此前微软曾就类似问题与美国司法部对峙达3年之久，结果微软被迫与其他公司共享编程接口，这场对峙堪称互联网历史上的里程碑，打破了微软对浏览器市场以及其他方面的垄断。

    虽然微软在美国避免了罚款，但三年后，微软为解决在欧盟遭到的类似指控支付了超过15亿美元。

    对微软的反垄断调查是近期针对在中国经营的外资企业所开展的一系列调查之一。有人怀疑，中国当局试图通过这一系列调查压缩外资企业在中国获得的利润。中国媒体上有言论称，一直以来，外国企业通过操纵价格和其他手段尽其所能地从世界第二大经济体压榨利润。

    然而，中国当局所针对的这个问题在西方已有先例，因此很难说这样的调查是出于政治动机。

    据路透社报道，张茂表示该调查“目前正在进行之中，我们将及时向公众披露有关结果”。他表示，微软已承诺将积极配合调查。

    此前，中国政府以安全考虑为由，禁止采购新的Windows8操作系统，此举已让微软倍感压力。(财富中文网)

    译者：Lina

    China’s antitrust investigation into Micrososft Corp. is focused on the same kind of software-bundling issues as those that caused the company problems in the west, international media reported Tuesday, citing a senior Chinese official.

    Reuters quoted Zhang Mao, head of an antitrust watchdog, as saying that his agency suspects the company of not being fully transparent with information about its Windows and Office sales.

    Specifically, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce is concerned about the way basic functions like the Internet Explorer web browser and Windows Media Player are bundled with products like the Office suite.

    Microsoft’s three-year battle with the Department of Justice over similar issues, which ended in the company being forced to share its programming interfaces with other companies, had been a landmark in the history of the internet, breaking Microsoft’s hold over the browser market and much else besides.

    Although it avoided being fined in the U.S. , it had to pay over $1.5 billion to settle similar charges in the E.U. three years later.

    The antitrust probe is one of a flurry against international companies operating in China recently, which has fostered suspicions of a generalized attempt by the authorities to squeeze the profits they generate there. Chinese media argue that foreign companies have been guilty of price-fixing and other tactics of milking the world’s second-largest economy as much as they can.

    However, by targeting an issue that already has precedents in the west, the authorities have arguably made it more difficult to argue that the case is politically-motivated.

    Zhang said the investigation “is presently ongoing and we will disclose the results to the public in a timely fashion,” according to Reuters. He said the company had promised to cooperate actively with the investigation.

    China has already ratcheted up the pressure on Microsoft by banning state procurement of its new Windows 8 operating system, citing security issues.