U.S. vs Microsoft Essay -- Justice vs Microsoft

Microsoft Case Part I: The government has been looking into Microsoft since 1990, when the Federal Trade Commission first started examining charges of monopolistic behavior. In 1995, Microsoft and the U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement that required the company to change a variety of business practices, including key aspects of its licensing agreements with personal computer makers (2). Microsoft has grown into an enormous and powerful corporation by a combination of aggressive business practices and having written operating systems (DOS and Windows) for personal computers. From operating systems it branched out into other software which has, along with the operating system, become something of an industry standard. These software products include, but are not limited to, the Microsoft Office Suite and Internet Explorer browser. One of the leading questions is if this is a â€Å"good† state of affairs: should one company so dominate computing and the Internet when we rely so heavily upon it? The most recent lawsuit involves the Justice Department and 20 state attorneys general. They believe that Microsoft has used its monopoly in operating system software to protect its dominance and eliminate competitors. The government says that in the long run, consumers will be harmed, because there will be less competition and fewer choices. More specifically, the government contends that Microsoft has engaged in actions to preserve its Windows monopoly that violate antitrust laws. The government also maintains that the company has used the power of its Windows monopoly to attempt to monopolize the market for Internet browsing software. In addition, government lawyers allege that the company has committed other anti-competitive acts (2). In addition to the DOJ and the 20 states, several other players are part of the government team against Microsoft: Netscape/AOL, Sun Microsystems, Linux and the Open Source movement, and the Consumer Project on Technology. The keys concerns are illegal tying arrangements with Windows and Internet Explorer; illegal market division between Microsoft and Netscape; and predatory conduct/pricing between Microsoft and Netscape, MS Office and Word Perfect Office and Lotus Office Suite (3). Microsoft contends that it is simply trying to innovate its products. The company contends that its actions are legal and says that t... ... it has the ability to sell that software as it sees fit. Microsoft has a very large share of the operating system market, but Jackson is off base equating Microsoft to Standard Oil. As a consumer, I have a hard time getting upset with Microsoft in general. I like the idea of being able to go to most any computer in this country and immediately be able to use the software. Whether it be Windows or Office products, the look and feel are the same at home or at any workstation. Bibliography 1. Cringely, Robert X. â€Å"Hit Me, Slap Me, Make Me Write Bad Code†. I, Cringely – The Pulpit, (November 11, 1999). [http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit19991118.html] 2. Chandrasekaran, Rajiv. â€Å"U.S. vs Microsoft†. Washington Post, (January, 2000). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/basics.htm] 3. Meeks, Brock. â€Å"Justice vs Microsoft†. MSNBC, (February 24, 2000). [http://www.msnbc.com/news/343334.asp] 4. Zittrain, Jonathan. â€Å"U.S. vs Microsoft: The Expert Opinion†. Chicago Tribune Internet Edition, (February, 2000). [http://chicagotribune.com/tech/news/ws/indx/0,1306,8297-16796,00.html]