Press Release: Mergers: Microsoft and Time Warner abandon acquisition of control in ContentGuard as Thomson purchases a one third stake

Microsoft and Time Warner informed the European Commission that Thomson was acquiring a 33% stake in ContentGuard. Although this acquisition by Thomson had been announced in November 2004, it only took place on 14 March 2005. As the original operation, whereby Microsoft and Time Warner acquired joint control of ContentGuard, had been abandoned, the companies withdrew their notification under the Merger Regulation. ContentGuard is one of the main Digital Rights Management (DRM) patent holders. The Commission had launched an in-depth investigation on 25 August 2004 (see IP/04/1044), in particular over the possibility for Microsoft to block competitors' access to ContentGuard's patents.