Adobe, Symantec Press EU to Block Vista Companies Seek to Restrict Microsoft Ed Sutherland
With Microsoft set to launch Windows Vista in November to corporate customers, Symantec (Quote, Chart) and Adobe (Quote, Chart) are lobbying European regulators to act against the software giant.
Next week, two Symantec executives head to Brussels to brief journalists on security features found in Vista.
Symantec earlier this year asked for an injunction to stop sales of Vista due to what it said was patent infringement by Microsoft.
Vista, with integrated antivirus and spyware protection, will compete head-to-head with Symantec, McAfee (Quote, Chart) and
other security vendors.
Rowan Trollope, vice president of consumer products and solutions and Bruce McCorkendale, a senior engineer in technology strategy will counter what Symantec feels is an incorrect impression being spread by Microsoft.
"We felt they needed to get on the road and correct misconceptions" left from comparisons by Microsoft using older Symantec software, according to spokesperson Cris Paden.
Adobe was not immediately available to comment on reports it is urging EU regulators to stop Vista from including PDF-like features.
In June, Adobe demanded Microsoft remove a competing file format from the upcoming operating system.
A spokesperson for the European Union said it has not received a formal complaint from Adobe.
Last week, Microsoft said any requirement by the EU it unbundled security features could put European users at risk. Earlier this month, Microsoft said it might not sell Vista in Europe.
"Security is a top concern for European consumers, and we hope the Commission will not require removal of these important features in Europe," Microsoft Associate General Counsel Erich Andersen said in a statement last week.
"It is not up to the Commission to give Microsoft a definitive 'green light' before Vista is put on the market," said Jonathan Todd, an EC spokesperson.
Todd said, as a "near monopolist," it is up to Microsoft to comply with the previous EC ruling.
Paden told internetnews.com that Microsoft is trying to tie the hands of the customer. Symantec agrees 100 percent with the EU's position.
Although Symantec has not lodged a formal complaint against Microsoft with the EU, it is open to advising regulators, according to the spokesperson.
Details of Symantec's discussions with the EU are "classified," Paden said.
Symantec objects to the way Vista handles third-party security applications. Vista departs from the cooperative nature that previous Windows operating systems have followed.
"Microsoft has said 'you'll have to run your dashboard next to our dashboard,'" said Paden, adding that only "tweaks" are needed to allow Symantec and other security vendors to interoperate with Vista.
While Symantec wants Vista to be altered to support outside security software, "we aren't asking Microsoft to strip anything out of Vista," Paden said.
