Microsoft CA Settlement Claim Forms Hit Mailboxes

mattOzan writes "So I got my Standard Claim Form in the mail today from the California State Superior Court, as I assume many other California residents did as well. This is the mechanism to get a chunk of the US$1.1 billion settlement Microsoft reached with the state of California for their anti-trust lawsuit. All the legal details (PDF) can be obtained online. Some of the fine print: the money will be doled out as vouchers based on what qualifying MS software you or your company obtained between 1995 and 2001 (nothing for 'server computers' or Macs). Two-thirds of all unclaimed money will be given to low-income California schools for computer purchases, and vouchers may also be donated to charity."

Comments

Re:North Carolina just settled a class action laws

[DrEldarion]

Given that Apple has so much of a huge market share in schools, one has to wonder if vouchers good for MS products are a way for MS to start claiming some of that Apple market share as an intended/unintended side effect. One really wonders when you see the quote from their counsel...

Either way, it's a good thing. Any extra computers in schools that need them are better than none at all. Even a few Commodore 64s or TRS-80s would be preferrable to having nothing.

What a great settlement... for Microsoft.

[Jerk City Troll]

Two-thirds of all unclaimed money will be given to low-income California schools for computer purchases

And what kind of computers and software will they be buying? Considering how schools are going from Apple to stupid, chances are they'll be Windows boxes.

If that's the case, great deal for Microsoft. Hand Microsoft their money right back to them and increase their mind and market share. What a brilliant way to settle a dispute.

1.1 billion. With a 95% discount.

[bo0ork]

If M$ is allowed to pay that 1.1 billion using the retail value of it's software, then that's not even going to start to hurt them, given their profit margins on software. I don't know what the cost for M$ to produce a bulk CD is, but I'm betting it's waaaay lower than the retail price for the software on it. And most of the software would be one CD + a bunch of license keys, anyhow.

"Guilty" is always nice

[heironymouscoward]

Whatever the financial aspects of this case (and one has to assume that whatever the settlement, it will be trivial compared to Microsoft's costs in other areas, such as fire-fighting the Linux guerilla bushwars), it is a definite victory for the market to have a solid verdict against Microsoft.

Being convicted of being a "monopolist", with random near-irrelevant punishments hurts no-one. But being convicted of stealing from the consumer and being told to give something back, that's something else.

I believe this is a landmark moment, akin to the first judgements against big tobacco, and with a similar future impact.