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Microsoft Settles Antitrust Suit with Vouchers

Posted by timothy on from the now-with-extra-lock-in dept.

TedCheshireAcad writes "Microsoft has apparently settled its antitrust case with the state of Arizona by offering $104 million in product vouchers. Arizona consumers in the state from 1996 to 2002 will get $15 for their past operating system purchases and $9 for past application purchases. Public schools in Arizona will get 50% of unclaimed vouchers and 50% of vouchers that have been claimed but not redeemed for software products. I remember when lawsuits were settled with money, not monopoly propogation."

9 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. Aren't punishments supposed to punish? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So the punishment is... increasing their marketshare? Can my startup get that "punishment" too? Oh, wait, we're too small. We'd just get fined $36.2 billion.

    1. Re:Aren't punishments supposed to punish? by Kethinov · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's not a punishment, it's a settlement. MS has made an offer and they have accepted it. Case closed.

      --
      You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
    2. Re:Aren't punishments supposed to punish? by MindStalker · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Trust me, the Arizona lawyers did hold out for a few million. In their pocket.

    3. Re:Aren't punishments supposed to punish? by silicon+not+in+the+v · · Score: 3, Insightful
      It's not a punishment, it's a settlement. MS has made an offer and they have accepted it. Case closed.
      That's the part that breaks my heart about this. I expect MS to make an offer like that. It's the best for them and gets them off the hook from a cash settlement. BUT, I expect it to be laughed at--not accepted! It's the prosecuting side that screwed this up. If they accept these kinds of settlement offers, that's when we lose. I wonder if MS is able to do this because of their threatening legal presence. Winning cases is very valuable for a lawyer's reputation. I wonder if that is swaying the decision on accepting these Mickey Mouse kinds of offers. The lawyer gets to look like he "beat Microsoft", which looks great on a resume. If he doesn't accept it, MS is going to bring the Hammer(TM) to try to squash them and get off scot free. The lawyer gets paid either way, but it looks better to "win" easily in a settlement than to potentially lose if it goes all the way through court.
      --
      We may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode. -Capt. Mal Reynolds
  2. Paying out in Monopoly money? by Isomer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You know, this gives a whole new look on money you get with those monopoly games. Turns out that if you are a monopoly you can print your own currency and have people use it....

  3. Right... by stienman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I remember when lawsuits were settled with money, not monopoly propogation.

    I doubt it. Pithy comments are all well and good, but I'd like you to point out one such case against a monopolist that you remember where money (and nothing else) was paid in restitution.

    Perhaps I just missed the "I'm pretending I'm an old timer" or "sarcasm" tag...?

    -Adam

    1. Re:Right... by node+3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I remember when lawsuits were settled with money, not monopoly propogation.

      I doubt it. Pithy comments are all well and good, but I'd like you to point out one such case against a monopolist that you remember where money (and nothing else) was paid in restitution.

      That's not what the guy said. He said that the punishments of the past worked against the monopoly, not propogating them, and that cash damages were paid in cash.

      While I can't speak for cash damages, I know that IBM was (is?) prohibited from pre-announcing new products (thus they couldn't really promote new versions of OS/2, for example, before they were out), and AT&T was prohibited from selling computer software (thus Unix was semi-free until the next monopoly fiasco of AT&T which broke it apart and allowed them to market Unix).

      This time it's absurd. It does a really poor job of punishing MS, and does nothing to stop them from further breaches. After all, what does MS have to fear? They'll have to give away some software which, btw, helps their marketshare?

      The point of punishing a monopoly is to keep them from either a.) remaining a monopoly, or at the very least b.) stop them from continuing to abuse their monopoly status. This isn't punishment, it's encouragement!

    2. Re:Right... by polyp2000 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This time it's absurd. It does a really poor job of punishing MS, and does nothing to stop them from further breaches. After all, what does MS have to fear? They'll have to give away some software which, btw, helps their marketshare?

      Yeah, its like a drug dealer getting busted and as a punishment having to give some of his stash away for free.

      --
      Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
  4. Those lawyers... by jotaeleemeese · · Score: 2, Insightful

    .... obviously have no concept of natural justice.

    OK, it is a settlement (why should a company settle if they are innocent? Do they understand how valuable reputation is? Even for MS) but the overwhelming feeling is of injustice: MS was caught doing something improper (heck, they pretend they are apologizing for it with those vouchers) and their punshment is to facilitate for them to do more of the same.

    USians: what are you doing about this insanity?

    --
    IANAL but write like a drunk one.