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Microsoft Settles Minnesota Antitrust Suit
An anonymous reader writes "According to the Star Tribune: 'The Microsoft antitrust suit in Minnesota was settled out-of-court Monday seven weeks after it began, but before the plaintiffs even finished putting on their case before the jury. Terms of the settlement won't be disclosed until they are finalized and presented to a Hennepin County judge for preliminary approval 'in early summer,' Microsoft said in a statement. The antitrust suit in Hennepin Country District Court sought as much as half a billion dollars from Microsoft for alleged overcharges of more than 1 million Minnesota consumers and businesses who bought Microsoft Windows, Word or Excel software between 1994 and 2001.'"
What is Minnesota running out of money just like the EU? So they try to hit up the cash cow, I think we will see more and more of these suits comming out, and all that it is going to do is make it so generic that they will get thrown out on the spot.
Or else Minnesota may have sent Brock Lesnar and Jesse Ventura after them. They could easily beat Gates and Ballmer in a tag match.
Just throw money at every piece of litigation they are in? Are they trying to artificially boost their public perception by being in as little lawsuits as possible?
....move along....nothing to see here....
PC World
Forbes
FT.com (A good one!)
- Jax
Score one for the little guy? I doubt it.
MS should have been broken up like Ma Bell a long time ago.
Microsoft are like that car company (Ford???) who decided it was cheaper to compensate burn sufferers and the bereaved than fix the gaping flaw that made their fuel tanks tend to catch fire.
Microsoft can pay fines out of their petty cash, while perpetrating similar tricks over and over.
#define struct union
"Free" copies of WindowsXP? "Free" copies of MS-Word? a $4 coupon off your next purchase of $600 software? MS is just extending their monopoly, probably dangling a carrot in front of the schools, after all, who can fault them if its 'for the kids' ?
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Could be the state got overcharged, but there are enough other cases where it works the way I interpreted this one to ask anyway.
What we need is for the goverment to start seizing 10% of microsoft's assets a year until they change their ways.
Not enough to kill them off (which would be devastating, considering winXP would stop running), but enough to wake them up.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
If so, I can see why M$ would settle.
A win against them in court by the state would make it a lot easier for a class-action suit to also win, setting even further precedent in other states.
Microsoft is going full throttle to settle all outstanding lawsuits. It wouldn't do to have a bunch of outstanding legal battles while you're throwing mud at Linux and questioning the legal security of the businesses that are using it.
Regardless of how the SCO thing works out, you can be sure that MSFT will be using this FUD when trying to close deals with big business customers.
I'm glad to hear it. At least some states are sticking to their intentions of getting the money they were screwed out of, or screwed themselves out of.
*begin offtopic*
And yes, we need the money. The current governer has decided that his priorities are with the suburbanites, further widening the schism between upper and lower class.
(BALLMER)TAX CUTS! TAX CUTS! TAX CUTS!(/BALLMER)
*end offtopic*
Also a fellow Minnesotan (and proud to be one), I can see why they chose to settle the suit. It may not have helped the little guy, but given Microsoft more or less got off from the Federal Government, chances of this suit succeeding are very slim. Also - MS has been paying out CASH for quite a few of it's settlements - from the article "Microsoft previously paid $1.55 billion to settle similar suits in nine other states and the District of Columbia."
Hopefully this will result in that type of settlement and not the "free educational software" [which is ironic as the suit is because Microsoft was a monopoly - letting them put their software in schools only increases the monopoly].
There is always a frontier where there is an open and willing mind
This leaves us with 24 more states that have not come to any decision or have not gone after Microsoft.
Minnesota's citizens were overcharged between $10 to $70 a year. 9.7 million licenses were overcharged from 1994 to 2001. Silicon Valley
Microsoft attorneys said the company had done nothing wrong...
Then why settle even before the plaintiffs even finished putting on their case before the jury?
Could it be the case was compelling?
Opera Watch - An Opera browser blog.
There was other software available. The desktop users may have not wanted to try and learn new/other software or had an IT dept. that was willing to administer multiple party apps., point being that we should learn to live with our decisions instead of suing over them... Something to think about.
I'm from Minnesota and lived there during those times, furthermore I used lots of Microsoft software... it's a shame I didn't pay for all of it.
Cost of doing business.
I'm not the only one who immediately knew what the settlement terms are.
Free software for schools, and $5 dollars off your next X-box purchase.
And probably a few million for the cash-strapped state.
"Toss them a bone."
It works every time. And it's back to business as usually for our favorite megamonopoly.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
NO, YUO!
Yep, i agree. Will someone please address this issue? i know we live in a time when a law suit is both a legit way to "right a wrong" and a way to intimidate, hush, or exact financial ruin upon someone.
How long will MS keep paying what looks to be hush money to make problems go away before someone notices that they are not chaging?
That is, of course, only one issue...i'm worried about what nberardi is worried about: at what point will legit suits against MS get tossed out because it looks/smells like another "let's hit MS's deep pockets" suit?
Why, so that some foreign corporation pushing Linux could come in and take away more American jobs by pushing inferior products? Fact is, Microsoft got to where they are today by making better products that people wanted.
You've never been to the Minneapolis area have you?
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
So thats pretty much an admission of guilt, isn't it? As well as a simple fine, wouldn't it make sense for the law to introduce checks and balances to prevent companies taking advantage like this again? What is to stop Microsoft overcharging and just paying fines? Oops, they did it again...
The only problem is that there's no law on the books to allow this kinda thing. What we need-ED was for the anti-trust trial do what it was supposed to do and break the company up like they did AT&T. There's still the "regulate-it-to-death" approach remaining: create an FTC-like oversight body for operating system software that would force MS to open up their software. This could create a market for resellers and even competing flavors of Windows. The only problem is that the OS business would become a tangled bureaucratic mess like the communications business now is.
Personally, I'd rather the govt keep MS's bundling activities in check and let the competition invade MS's core business horizontally, at least until some kind of a competitive balance is restored. Would MS kick and scream? Of course, this is a measure designed to reduce their market share, the exact opposite of their end-all-be-all goal.
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
Microsoft will give Minnesota 700,000 copies of Microsoft Bob.
hmmm, maybe they should poll how many ./ users pay for M$ software....heh, i know i don't pay unless i can't get it free.
-Pizentios
With only 4 million people TOTAL up here, thats normal enough.
The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
I wonder how much of that 80% is in there IT section of the company.
-Pizentios
that gave me a thought: what would happen if terrorists took out MS HQ?
what would be the financial impact relative to 9/11?
also if a lot of MS staff were killed, could Windows continue to function? would the government have to step in, nationalise and release patches for the sake of stability?
MS would certainly be an easier target than the more obvious Pentagon/White House type.
Or try reading about it in the local paper the StarTribune story.
just goes to show that 2.4 ownz still:
bash$ find linux-2.4.25 -exec grep FIXME {} \; | wc -l
1940
bash$
You're right. It does not specify that it will be paid in cash, but one would assume so for several reasons:
1. Other recent lawsuit actions. MS recently settled 2 other lawsuits for a total of 2.04 billion dollars [1.6 billion Sun, 440 million Intertrust]
2. Non-Cash Settlements have hurt MS. When MS settled with the DoJ and some states in November, provisions in the settlement prevented MS from engaging in exclusive contracts that would prohibit software developers or PC makers from using competing products [source - news.com].
3. Settlements with some states have been for software and like, but some [for example California which settled for 1.1 billion], the money is available to claim if you want (a cash settlement).
I would bet the settlement with be for a decent amount of cash, but you have to claim it and the unclaimed Cash goes back to MS [like California and Florida's settlements.
There is always a frontier where there is an open and willing mind
Fargo is in North Dakota. You betcha.
Casual Games/Downloads
MS would probably just use it as an opportunity to outsource to india... You can bet they've got contingency plans setup for that, like programmers on tap in india and all the "crucial" employees (read, managers) officed in the same material they build black boxes out of.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
bash$ find linux-2.4.25 -exec grep -i FIXME {} \; | wc -l
./fs/isofs/inode.c: * Some dipshit decided to store some other bit of infor
mation
./fs/jffs2/gc.c: /* Shitloads of space */
./fs/jffs2/dir.c: /* Oh shit. We really ought to make a single nod
e which can do both atomically */
./net/ipv4/tcp_input.c: * all the algo is pure shit and should be replaced
./net/ipv6/exthdrs.c: and opt->hdrlen is even. Shit! --ANK (980730)
./drivers/net/declance.c: * v0.007: Big shit. The LANCE seems to use a diff
erent DMA mechanism to
./drivers/net/sunhme.c: /* Remember: "Different name, same old buggy as shit har
dware." */
./drivers/net/sunlance.c: * This was the sun4c killer. Shit, stupi
d bug.
./drivers/net/wan/z85230.c: ct=2; /* Shit happens.. */ ./drivers/net/sk98lin/h/skgepnm2.h: * Shit, mismatched calculation of SK_PNMI_
HUNDREDS_SEC. Corrected.
./drivers/scsi/esp.c: /* shit */
./drivers/scsi/esp.c: /* shit */
./drivers/scsi/NCR53C9x.c: /* shit */
./drivers/scsi/NCR53C9x.c: /* shit */ /* XXX Shit, this doesn't work f
or async URBs :-( XXX */
2029
bash$ find linux-2.4.25 -exec grep -i shit {} \;
./arch/x86_64/ia32/ia32_ioctl.c:
...on and on...
What are you implying!
I'm shocked and appalled that someone would be so gauche as to suggest that experienced computer users are very likely to pay nothing for software because they know where to find warez and how to apply cracks.
It's be like saying we don't give a damn about a bunch of dipshit bands whose songs we could freely download in a thousand different ways! Perhaps if we had'nt been taken advantage of so much in high school we wouldn't feel like this was our due!
Proposed Windows fan club. Offer an industrial-strngth fan to chop up MS 'puters - or a club to beat them into teenie tiny little parts. That will eliminate the BSOD.
Supposedly this was Gates rejoinder to Steve Jobs when the latter said, "We're better than you." Gates knows in this case that throwing a bit of cash to Minnesota to settle the suit doesn't really matter, either. It's the same Machiavellian insight as to what it takes to win his grand strategic goals at the cost of a few tactical losses. "Oh, I over charged you for the years between 1994 and 2001? So sorry. Here's a 30% refund in 2004. Thanks for the 70% I get to keep! (And the time I needed to eliminate my competition, hehe...)".
Generally, bash is superior to python in those environments where python is not installed.
And I wonder who did the pricing comparisons and research before buying this overpriced software.
If that was done, then where is the reasoning to complain?
Shop smart, shop S-MART.
-- The box said Windows 2000 or better... so I installed Linux
Where settlement, read 'Microsoft agrees to give away some of its products (which it will claim are worth a total of severl billion dollars when really its plastic and amounts to potential lost sales) to schools where it hopes to lock in students at an early age (i.e those lost sales are actually an investment at Microsofts advantage).' - for example whats better: give 10,000 copies of office to schools as part of a settlement, or give 10,000 copies of OpenOffice (essentially identical) to schools and Microsoft can give a sum of money to someone else?
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
Take the number of vehicles in the field, (A), and multiply it by the probable rate of failure, (B), then multiply the result by the average
out-of-court settlement, (C).
A times B times C equals X...
If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.
which would be devastating, considering winXP would stop running
So...that would be different from *insert random broken security flaw/patch combination here* we already have?
If x is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.
--- Hot Shot City is particularly good.
I don't know about anyone else but I still have not received my CA settlement money. Paper work I sent in almost six months ago has not produced a check. I guess we have to bring up a lawsuit to get then to pay the money they already own us from the previous law suit.
I wish someone would start doing what you suggest, but to the freaking governments. Or havent you noticed that in recent years, barely any government in the world is really acting in the best interests of the people it perportably represents? Ever wondered if a 'normal' person could get elected to a governmental position in the majority of western nations? Just look at the sums of money involved in getting elected president, they are up there as a good portion of a $Billion. Normal people barely get a look in once every 4 or 5 years.
there's only about a million people in the twin cities metro area. population-wise its smaller then milwaukee metro.
how many of those people were computer users who bought MS products from 85-01? a million doesn't sound unreasonable.
get yourself an almanac.
I have been waiting for vouchers from the settlement with California for quite some time and they are still not here! The settlement was supposedly approved by the court on January 10, 2003.
It is now far from the time originally promised for the distribution of the vouchers. I have seen the deadlines and distribution times change twice at the official website.
I can not help but feel that part of their plan is to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the process out as long as possible so that people forget about the vouchers. I originally held off on a new system purchase because I wanted to use my voucher, but have since given up.
Lets hope that Minnesota's settlement will be a bit more timely.
There are actually about 3 million people in the Twin Cities Metro area. The total population of MN us about 4.5 million.
The Twin Cities are just behind Cleveland in size and considerably bigger than the Millwakee metro area, which BTW is the smallest market in Major League Baseball.
This case is just a money grab. Whether or not MS is a monopoly, they don't overcharge for their software.
Teabagger, a man who squats on top of a man's or woman's face and lowers his genitals into his or her mouth during sex, known as "teabagging."
I'd like to settle with Microsoft, where do I sue?
You people should sue the county, they have no right to settle, and in secret? WTF? Are you people all stupid? You will see nothing, they should be forced to trial, and YOU ALL should receive the money DIRECTLY, not through rebates, cold hard CASH back!
The government will just use any money to EXPAND, hire more government people and then your taxes will go up when the money is gone but the people still want to get paid.
If you don't get direct cash, you are just plain stupid people.
Ummm... The DemPublicans?
Or is it the Larouche party?
Maybe he's a libertarian! Yeah, that's it!
Who says Panther isn't overpriced? Since MS Office costs a lot more, is it overpriced? Isn't "overpriced" judged by the market? Ah, but they're in trouble for vandalizing the market, aren't they? It's not as simple as you portray it.
:-)
Anyway, how much did your School District, Federal, State, and Local government blow on MS software last year? Find out and try to calculate how much free and open source software can save for YOU in tax burden alone!
Why and who would do that? Just because boeing is dominant in the us big long haul market, does that mean docking it 10 % so that its competitors can catch up.
Stupid idiot. And god knows why the mods modded it up.
I'll keep your "advice" in mind next time Slashdot has a "Linux needs, in order to..." article.
No, the car was the FORD Pinto.
(and it is the subject of the book "Unsafe at any speed.")
Ford made a calculated decision that the cost of paying out for death resulting from the poorly designed car would be less than the cost of recalling/replacing/repairing the defective cars. Rather nasty really, imho.
Presumably M$ will want to pay whatever fine it is in 'tokens' for free software. When you eventually got your 'free' software could you not then return it unopened for a refund in real money? ... just a thought
I wonder if those who believe Might Is Right ever wonder if they Might Be Wrong...
so sad that microsoft can literally buy out whoever they want...