Group: Microsoft Tax

When buying a computer today you often get Microsoft Windows included. If you insist on not paying for Microsoft Windows your selection of computers (and especially laptops) is quite limited.

We find this is unfair competition.

The debundling idea

The license for Microsoft Windows is already linked to the license key, so the license key could simply be sold separately in an envelope. If you only want the license, you will pay for the envelope; if you only want the laptop you will pay for the laptop; and if you want both the laptop and the envelope you buy both.

To have the laptop and the license priced at their real price it is important that you can buy either the envelope or the laptop separately and that the price of the license is the same as the price difference between a laptop with a license and a laptop without. Otherwise we will just see the envelope priced around 200 EUR, the laptop around 300 EUR, but the envelope and the laptop at 301 EUR - thus not breaking the monopoly.

Rejected ideas

Some Microsoft EULAs allow for a refund. We do not want to work to get this refund. The reason being that Microsoft may at any time change the EULA - in which case we would have to start over.

Encourage people to buy computers without Microsoft Windows. You can get some computers without Microsoft Windows. However, if you want a computer without Microsoft Windows your selection is extremely limited. We do not find this limitation fair just because you do not want to pay for Microsoft Windows.

Current progress

We already have contact to some members of the European Parliament and are now trying to contact the people behind the two verdicts against Microsoft.

We will be happy to work with anyone international to get the Microsoft tax removed.

If you know anyone who would like to work with us on this, please contact mstax@tange.dk to get added to the email list.