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Microsoft Settles Minnesota Antitrust Suit

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the no-problem-here dept.

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.'"

11 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Other Sources by JaxWeb · · Score: 5, Informative

    PC World

    Forbes

    FT.com (A good one!)

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    - Jax
  2. Re:What is Minnesota doing... by mls · · Score: 5, Informative

    What is Minnesota running out of money just like the EU? So they try to hit up the cash cow...

    Well, MN is running out of money, but that isn't what this is about.

    MN was one of the original states in the anti-trust lawsuit. When the other states settled, we didn't.

    It just took this long to pan out.

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    -mls
  3. Re:Is this the new MS strategy? by Ian_Bailey · · Score: 2, Informative

    I think others have already answered this question.

  4. I didn't suspect this to happen so soon by mistermoonlight · · Score: 2, Informative

    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*

  5. M$ Settlements by blutrot · · Score: 5, Informative
    On the same case:
    ``Wash.-based software giant to reach trial. Microsoft has reached settlements in nine states and Washington, D.C., totaling $1.5 billion, including $1.1 billion in California. Cases were dismissed in 16 other states.'' Minnesota plaintiffs near court date with Microsoft on overcharge claims


    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
  6. Re:Only 1 million consumers in minnesota? by -kertrats- · · Score: 2, Informative

    With only 4 million people TOTAL up here, thats normal enough.

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    The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
  7. Re:Other Sources (Local Sources) by BenFranske · · Score: 2, Informative

    Or try reading about it in the local paper the StarTribune story.

  8. Re:What is Minnesota doing... by mgoodman · · Score: 2, Informative

    Errr, except that OJ didn't really have the option to settle...

    And when he did have the option to settle in his civil suit, he didn't. And lost.

    I bow before you, king of screwed up analogies!

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    01100111 01100101 01110100 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110100 00100000 01101101 01101111 01110010 01100101 00101110
  9. Re:Shut Up, communist. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Wrong,

    MS got where they are now mostly because they out spent and out marketed everyone else in their industry (you can do that with several billions of $$$ at your disposal) and utilizing predatory business practices goes a long way towards culling the fledgling competition. Linux an inferior product?!? Get back into your Windows 98 corner and don't come out until you've removed some more spyware and reboot a few times and think about what you've just said. In another 8-12 quarters Linux will start to dominate the desktop then we'll see who makes the better product.

  10. Re:Between 1994 and 2001... by NullProg · · Score: 3, Informative

    Hmm,

    No there wasn't even if you wanted to. Don't you remember the Licensing restrictions Microsoft made the PC Makers sign in order to get attractive windows pricing?

    Typical consumer call to Dell (or IBM, Compaq, Acer, Gateway, etc).

    Consumer: I want a computer with OS/2 on it.
    Dell: We only ship with Windows.
    Consumer: Then I want a computer with Dr. DOS on it.
    Dell: We only ship with Windows
    Consumer: Can I have a computer without an OS for $100 less?
    Dell: No, we only ship with Windows

    Enjoy,

    --
    It's just the normal noises in here.
  11. Re:Why the gubamint? by plover · · Score: 3, Informative
    No, Minnesota took their tobacco settlement money ($4.5 billion) and after enriching the law firm (to the tune of $450,000,000 which averaged out to around $3000/hr for everyone in the company, including the janitorial staff) actually put a pile of it aside for the intended purpose of preventing kids from smoking. They created a project called "Target Market" and they paid for lots of commercials featuring stuff like body bags being dumped on the steps of R.J.Reynolds Corp., etc. The campaign was supposed to be "edgy", "hip" and "relevant" and all those other current marketing words. They were somewhat interesting, but damned if I know if it worked, I'm older than that and I've never smoked.

    Anyway, this year the state eyeballed that big ole Pile-O-Money and said, "Hmm...health of kids vs. budget deficit and a no new taxes pledge." You get 0 points for guessing which one won. Research has shown that youth smoking is up in the six months following the end of the campaign, but whether it's a true cause and effect is anyone's guess.

    --
    John