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Microsoft Antitrust Law Case

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On October 19, 1998, Microsoft was in a courtroom. The technology giant and household name was on trial for monopolizing the software industry. They were accused of forcing computer makers to use their internet browser as part of the Windows software. In the process violated Section 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Law. According to Section 1 of the Sherman
Antitrust Law, companies are prohibited to make “agreements in restraint of trade--such as price- fixing, refusals to deal, bid-rigging, etc. The parties involved might be competitors, customers, or a combination of the two.” (economics) Section 2 of the Sherman Antirust Law states that no company is allowed to monopolize or attempted to monopolize in their industry. Through anticompetitive means, Microsoft began to push …show more content…

Zichy 2
On November, 1990, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson declared that Microsoft was acting as a monopoly in the personal computer operation systems market and was taking actions to eliminate opposing companies. After the ruling, Microsoft appealed and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Judge Jackson’s rulings. They decided not to break up Microsoft and would give them a less harsh antitrust penalty. Microsoft decided to create a settlement with the companies it harmed. The settlement required Microsoft to share it application programing interfaces and required three people to have full access to Microsoft’s system, records, and source code for five years.
In my personal opinion, I think that it is unfair for someone to break the law and get caught and not receive the punishment they deserve. Microsoft got a slap on the wrist for their actions. This decision by the courts set a precedent for other companies in the future. They will look at this case and see how they can get away with trying to monopolize the market. When companies try to monopolize the market, competition is destroyed. Microsoft should have been
punished

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