NEWS    RECALLS    COMPLAINT FORM    SCAM ALERTS   RESOURCES  
Small Claims Guide   Class Actions   Lemon Laws   FAQ   Newsletters  
Share


Complain about a product or service

Automotive    Education    Employment    Electronics    Family    Finance    Health    Homeowners    Insurance    Pets    Shopping    Travel     Print This     Email This    



NEWS   Latest |  Archives |  Auto |  Cells, etc. |  Computers |  Financial |  Health |  Homeowners |  Parents |  Privacy |  Scams |  Seniors |  Travel

Microsoft Maintains its Monopoly, States Argue

Report finds court-imposed remedies inadequate





September 5, 2007 

Microsoft
Admanager
Office
Xbox 360
Zune Complaints
Other Complaints
---
News
Windows 7: Reviews Largely Positive
Sidekick Phone Users Lose Data In Server Crash
Microsoft Blocked From Selling Word
Microsoft Settles With Mississippi For $100 Million
Vista Class Action Reaches End of the Road
Microsoft "Vista Capable" Lawsuit Returns
Judge Nixes 'Vista Capable' Class Action Against Microsoft
'Vista Capable' Lawsuit Could Cost Microsoft $8.5 Billion
New Twist in 'Vista Capable' Class Action Lawsuit
Microsoft Maintains its Monopoly, States Argue
Google Wins a Round Against Microsoft
Microsoft Agrees to Settle Class Action
Iowa Antitrust Case Clouds Microsoft's Vista
Microsoft Settles Wisconsin Class Action
Iowa Invests Microsoft Settlement In Law Enforcement
Problems Plague Xbox 360 Users
Microsoft Settles Minnesota Case for $240 Million
Microsoft Settles California Antitrust Suit

Court-imposed remedies have failed to adequately reduce Microsoft's illegal monopoly, six states and the District of Columbia argue in a report filed with the federal district court in Washington, D.C.

The states attorneys general said that, despite remedies imposed by the court five years ago, Microsoft maintains monopolies in Intel-compatible PC operating systems and in Web browsers, and has significantly increased its competitive position in computer server operating systems.

"The Final Judgment has failed to free Microsoft's stranglehold on the software market," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. He said the states "have vigorously enforced the Final Judgment against Microsoft, but the judgment provisions are inadequate to fight Microsoft's market muscle."

Microsoft's Windows operating system still controls 92 percent of the Intel-compatible PC operating system market, the attorneys general said.

While Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser has experienced some emerging competition from browsers like Firefox, Microsoft still enjoys an 85 percent share of the browser market. And Microsoft's share of the server operating system market has actually increased from 55 percent in 2002 to 72 percent in 2006.

The multi-state report states says that these statistics demonstrate that Microsoft's market dominance, which Microsoft maintained by using illegal practices to destroy threats from Netscape and Java, has endured.

The remedies negotiated by the Department of Justice (DOJ), and imposed by the court, have had little or no discernable success in restoring a competitive marketplace, the report said.

Connecticut was one of the original 18 states that, along with the DOJ, sued Microsoft in 1998 for violating federal and state antitrust laws by engaging in predatory practices to crush competitors in order to maintain its monopolistic hold over the PC operating system market.

A 2000 landmark federal court decision ruled that Microsoft had violated the antitrust laws, and ordered the company be broken up. In 2001, the federal appeals court agreed, but - rather than breakup the company - the appeals court sent the case to a new judge to hold hearings and determine appropriate remedies.

In 2001, the Bush Administration's DOJ settled with Microsoft in an agreement criticized by many states and other industry experts as insufficient. In November 2002, a federal court ruling imposed those same remedies.

The attorneys general said that - when the court-imposed remedies expire in November - Microsoft will be empowered again to abuse its market dominance to crush competitors.

Microsoft has already demonstrated this threat in undermining rival "desktop search" products, including Google's Desktop Search.

It was only after Connecticut and several other states raised concerns about Microsoft's actions, which potentially violated its court-order, that the company agreed to significant changes to a feature in Windows Vista that would enable consumer to choose from competing desktop search engines.

The states will have limited ability to address these or other concerns about abusive practices by Microsoft after the court judgment expires in November, the attorneys general said.



Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share

Follow us on Twitter.

FREE CONSUMER NEWSLETTERS

The Daily Consumer
Afternoons M-F

Sign up now!


Consumer News & Alerts
Every Sunday

Sign up now!





CONSUMER NEWS

SAFETY RECALLS

Back to the top |

Advertisement


Custom Search
AUTOMOTIVE
• Dealers
• Manufacturers
• Service
• Extended Warranties
• Lemon Laws
• Recalls
• Tires
• Transporters

FAMILY
• Aging
• Children, Parenting
• Recalls
• Dating
• Education
• Entertainment
• Pets
• Weddings
FINANCE
• Annuities
• Banks
• Credit Cards
• Debt Collection
• Debt Counseling
• Insurance
• Investing
• Loans
• Mortgages
• Payday Loans
• Student Loans
• Tax Prep

HEALTH
• Doctors
• Drugs, Pharmacies
• Health Clubs
• Hearing Care
• Hospitals
• Nursing Homes
• Nutrition, Diets
• Vision Care
• Weight Loss
HOUSE & HOME
• Appliances
• Cookware
• Furniture
• Home Improvements
• Lawn & Garden
• Movers
• Pools & Spas
• Realtors, Rental Agents
• Recalls
• Utilities

ELECTRONICS
• Cable TV/DBS
• Cameras
• Cell Phones
• Computers
• Home Electronics
• Internet Access
• Local Phone Service
• Long Distance
• VoIP
SHOPPING
• In-Home
• Online
• Retail Stores
• Sporting Goods
• Supermarkets
• Telemarketers

TRAVEL
• Airlines
• Bus Lines
• Car Rental
• Cruises
• Hotels
• Travel Agents
• Trains

RESOURCES
• Class Actions
• Complaint Form
• Small Claims Guide
• Lemon Laws
CONSUMER NEWS
• Latest News
• Automotive
• Telecom
• Financial
• Health
• Homeowners
• Scams
• Seniors
• Travel
• More ...

RECALLS
• Automotive
• Children's Products
• Drugs
• Food
• Household Products
• Sporting Goods

ABOUT US
• FAQ
• Privacy Policy
• Advertise With Us
• Newsroom
• Syndication
• Terms of Use

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2009 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.