Microsoft SEC Filing Acknowledges Mozilla Threat

The seattlepi.com Microsoft Blog (a weblog run by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to keep tabs on the Seattle area's largest software company) is reporting that Microsoft mentioned Mozilla as a competitive threat in a US government filing. The statement was made in Microsoft's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended on June 30, 2005, which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission late last week.

In full, the passage says: "Competitors such as Mozilla offer software that competes with the Internet Explorer Web browsing capabilities of our Windows operating system products." According to the seattlepi.com Microsoft Blog, this is the first time that Mozilla has been mentioned in a Microsoft SEC filing.

Under the Securities and Exchange Act 1934, publicly-traded companies like Microsoft are required to file a Form 10-K every year, providing a "comprehensive overview of the company's business and financial condition". It is standard practice to acknowledge risk factors and competitive threats in such filings.

Thanks to roseman for the pointer to the seattlepi.com Microsoft Blog post.

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