Microsoft Antitrust
A company well known around the world is Microsoft Corporation since 90 % of computer users use this operating system. Now, in 1995 the Justice Department accused this well know firm with violating a decree in which was stated the term on which Microsoft could license it operating system to PC manufactures. Microsoft violated this decree by requiring that the PC manufacturers who bought their license to include the Internet Explorer of Microsoft in every computer they instal the Microsoft software. In other words, the Justice Department understood that under the decree the company can not tie any new product to Windows, while Microsoft Corp. says that the Internet Browser is not a separate product from Windows operating system. The Justice Department saw the operating system Windows 95 as a monopoly product which was forcing the PC firms to use the Microsoft browser. In 1997, the Justice Department tried to fine a million dollar for everyday the Microsoft corp. refused to take the restriction that PC manufactures using Microsoft os have to install their browser but such request by the Justice Department was refused by the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Now, the issue started to seem more complicated when in the browser market Microsoft control had grown 20 % in one year. Now, the government officials where accusing Microsoft of giving very few chances to Netscape to compete.In other words, Microsoft was raising the barriers to entry into the market since the firm was making 20 times the revenues of Netscape.The judge declared that Microsoft Corporation had violated the Sherman Antitrust act from 1980 by unfairly blocking free-market competition. At the end, the Justice Department win the battle since in December 1997, Microsoft could no longer require from the PC manufactures that used their software to include the Microsoft software. Based on my research and reading, I have come to understand that monopolistic are only...