Messagenet battles Skype deal
Microsoft's proposed $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype has already been given the go-ahead by the US Federal Trade Commission; however, the European Commission has yet to make its decision.
Messagenet has filed a complaint, asking for the Commission to block the purchase, unless Skype is decoupled from Microsoft Windows.
PC World says Messagenet owner, Andrea Galli claims the deal would increase Skype's dominant position in the market of Internet-based telephony and voice over Internet protocol (VOIP).
Galli fears “the primary effect of the merger will be to exclude potential competitors from the market”. Skype currently has around 124 million regular users. Messagenet, which offers Internet fax, SMS messaging and VOIP services, has around 390 000 registered users.
Messagenet's proposal that Microsoft be barred from bundling Skype services into its core Windows operating system echoes of earlier European regulatory scrutiny that say Microsoft offering versions of Windows without Windows Media Player, indicates Digital Trends.
Microsoft also offers a version of Windows 7 without Internet Explorer in Europe in response to complaints it was abusing its dominant position in the browser market.
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