COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Digital Consumer Denmark says U.S. software producer Microsoft is trying to blackmail Copenhagen by threatening to shut a Danish unit.
DCD said Microsoft founder Bill Gates warned Denmark's prime minister the company would move Navision, a business software unit, to the United States if the European Union did not accept a directive securing Microsoft´s intellectual property rights in Europe, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.
DCD, long opposed to the directive, said Microsoft was using Navision and its 800 workers to force the directive through the EU.
"This is pure blackmail," Peter Mogensen said. "Patents do not have anything to do with where you develop software. Especially not for a company as bit as Microsoft. Regardless of where the EU implements software patents, Microsoft will not get better protection by moving Navision to the United States. Bill Gates is using Navision for blackmail -- but his threats have no connection to the results he's after."
The EU Commission´s directive proposal was rejected by the European parliament on Feb. 4 but can still be accepted by EU´s Minister Council this week.
