Instead Of Letting Free Markets Operate, EU Attack Microsoft (MSFT)

The EU has decided to go further to force Microsoft (MSFT) to give competition to its Internet Explorer a better chance to get PC market share. According to The Wall Street Journal, the EU’s new plan to help Redmond’s rivals is by “forcing a bunch of browsers into Windows, thus diluting Microsoft’s advantage.”

The EU might as well let the free markets take their course. Microsoft IE is already bleeding browser share without any government intervention and Google (GOOG) is aggressively marketing its new browser “Chrome.”

Apple’s (AAPL) Safari broser currently has more than 7% of the market and as Mac sales rise at the expense of PCs. Mozilla Firefox had a 21% share at the end of 2008 up from 17% a year earlier.

The EU should  stop wasting its time. IE is in enough trouble on its own.

Douglas A. McIntyre