Microsoft can get into trouble fighting Apple iTunes

Microsoft just announced their creation to fight the growing popularity of iTunes. The service, called Urge, will be launched in cooperation with MTV, and will sell music using the same model popularized by Apple.

Certainly, as I commented a few days ago, Microsoft would try to counter the huge success that Apple is obtaining with iTunes. What remains to be seen is the quality of the new service. As described by in this article, the new service is supposed to appear only in the second semester, probably only with the new version of Windows. In other words, it is only vaporware at this point.

Second, by doing this Microsoft can get again into trouble for trying to use its Windows monopoly to get an edge over Apple. As commented by The Scotsman

One analyst warned that the inclusion of Microsoft's music service with Windows could cause the software giant fresh regulatory problems in Europe. In 2004, the European Commission fined the company ... and ordered it to sell a version of its Windows XP software without its Media Player after ruling it had abused its monopoly position on software.