Slashdot Mirror
California Takes Issue With Microsoft Settlement Idea
Deepfoo writes: "Note from CNet on the California challenge to Microsoft's attempt to settle the 100 civil cases on file against it by donating equipment. The dissenters will argue that those harmed in the lawsuit aren't getting compensated directly in this way, and that the ploy of donating equipment to schools is a transparent effort to further extend its monopoly. The dissenting California lawyers estimate the actual damages due to Californians alone could be on the order of 3 to 9 billion (wide range, but that's what they've said). Is Microsoft a do-gooder, or up to no good?"
Firestone announces it will be donating surplus "Wilderness XT" tires to Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, as well as any Goodyear employee involved in R&D or Marketing.
I am become Troll, destroyer of threads
"sir, we're a monopoly, we get to set the price"
Not to mention that education is the last Mac stronghold. I just wonder what'll happen in five years when the 'free stuff' runs out. Will MS continue to provide low cost solutions? Didn't think so.
Drug dealers always like to give out free samples
"The conduct of neither [party], if strictly examined, will be irreproachable." -Elizabeth Bennet
I'm still amazed at the pair of brass balls needed to even suggest a settlement like this.
Can you think of any other company that would see flooding the market with their product as a good solution to a monopoly lawsuit? If AT&T had suggested adding free phone lines to schools in reponse to the goverment saying they already had too much control, they would have been laughed out of the court room.
>I hope Microsoft wins this battle. The stupid antitrust laws should be repealed anyway. They're over 100 years old!
Hey, so is the whole country... time to close up the tent everyone.
.
-pyrrho
According to lawyers and others briefed on the deal, Philip Morris would provide tobacco products valued at about $900 million over five years to schools where most students qualify for free federal lunch programs. Philip Morris also would be responsible for making available 200,000 reconditioned ashtrays and tobacco pipes during that period, $90 million in teacher training and $38 million in technical support. It would provide as much as $250 million to set up an independent foundation to meet project goals, and would seek an additional $200 million in matching funds.
If the settlement goes through, Philip Morris's brand name and products will gain even greater presence in the nation's schools. Some of the lawyers in the class-action cases were uncomfortable with this but concluded that Philip Morris's monopoly already is so pervasive that students would have to learn to use their products anyway.
-- >>
It is nothing but a transparent ploy to extend monopoly. I can't believe anyone would fail to see it, or ignore it.
-- >>
well, wouldn't we have all thought that of a case which the government won, twice? and yet still managed to lose...hmmm.
i'm not sure how to explain the way these guys can bamboozle just about anyone. a good friend from Apple days is convinced he is the anti-christ. perhaps if someone had mentioned that to Ashcroft things would have turned out differently.
O'Reilly's MS Bashing in a Nutshell (tm)
No self respecting slashdotter would stoop to the level of the Dummy's series.
If this works, maybe I'll try it myself next April:
"Dear IRS, Instead of a check, enclosed please find 800 copies of my latest shareware valued at $40.00 each. I'm sure you'll agree that the benefit to society of making my software available to hundreds of schools serving hundreds of thousands of children far outweighs some petty cash payment."
I could save a fortune this way. Go Microsoft!
My personal opinion is that much of the Microsoft bashing goes on for a few reasons:
We bash Microsoft because most of us are computing professionals. I'm sure a lot of McDonald's bashing goes on in kitchens, and a lot of KIA bashing goes on in garages.
Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.
If you cant keep the threads straight, get out. Your a risk to the kernel. It would suck if the whole site panicked because you cant differentiate thread context and topics.