WEEE directive threatens Microsoft OEM sales

SMALL BUSINESSES affected by the WEEE directive have asked Microsoft UK to help them regularise its OEM affairs because they face being pursued by enforcers who will know that they produce products that must be re-cycled.

As we reported last week, a campaign on behalf of small businesses affected by the WEEE proposals has been kicked off by trade association ITACS. (See UK government takes the WEEE out of IT retailers.)

A source told the INQ that Microsoft OEM is under the biggest indirect threat because if a system integrator buys an OEM operating system, it identifies the buyer as being part of the WEEE umbrella. It costs around £500 to be counted as a WEEE producer. Larger integrators use royalty OEMs. There's a possibility Microsoft may well dump the OEM scheme and that could prompt small firms that don't want to be WEEEing to install Linux or even pirate OSes.

According to ITACS, a number of small businesses and individuals have reported developments that WEEE is likely to have on the market. Some small businesses are attempting to find loopholes to avoid the additional burden of recycling their companies will face. Those include non-VAT registered companies changing their phone numbers and pulling websites.

ITACS also said that some re-cyclers forced to account for products that fall under the WEEE directive are attempting to buy up stocks of discarded electronic products because people throw gadgets away rather than re-cycle them. µ

L'INQ
ITACS petition