Microsoft: On anti-trust and monopolies (or How A Linux User Can Court Ostracism) Introduction In 1890, the US Congress passed the Sherman Act. Further, the Clayton Act was enacted in 1912. This was followed by the Robinson-Patman Act of 1936. These antitrust laws prohibit agreements in restraint of trade, monopolization and attempted monopolization, anticompetitive mergers and tie-in schemes, and, in some circumstances, price discrimination in the sale of commodities. Thus, the goals of…

To: Reader From: Re: Sherman Antitrust Act Facts John Davison Rockefeller was the founder of Standard Oil Company in 1870 and ran it until he retired in 1897. Standard Oil gained almost complete control over the oil refining market in the United States by underselling its competitors. Rockefeller and his associates owned dozens of corporations operating in just one state. The Sherman Antitrust Act was enacted on July 2nd, 1890 which prohibits activities that restrict interstate commerce…

SHERMAN ANTITRUST ACT I claim that the Sherman Antitrust Act is a critical and necessary statute that gradually caused significant changes in business practices in order to ensure a competitive free market system essential for long term growth of the economy, although it faced criticisms for sacrificing economic efficiency. This fundamental statute continues to notably shape the economic landscape even today, albeit being more than 100 years old. The act contains three sections. The first section…

dealing with trusts and monopolies, controversy is sure to arise. This discussion is a result of the benefits, and also the disadvantages of monopolies in our market. With these arguments going on, discussions of the Sherman Antitrust Act in many legal cases, have been whether or not this law is beneficial to our economy and population, or harmful. People have gathered on both sides of this debate looking for the truth behind the effect of the Sherman Antitrust act. To learn how the Sherman Antitrust…

The Microsoft Anti-Trust Case: Presidential Candidate Recommendations The Microsoft Antitrust Case is essentially the clash of two separate ideals, the key issue being how much influence the government should have in the marketplace. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Microsoft is in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which states: “Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize…

A Sherman Act of 1890 The Sherman Act of 1890 as referenced in McConnell and Campbell (2011), consists of two main regulations; • Section 1 “Every contract, combination in the form of a trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations is declared to be illegal.” • Section 2 “Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or…

opted to try to form a monopolistic trust in order to eliminate the competition. But to determine if Microsoft was attempting to violate the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, a trust must be defined. By definition, a trust is a combination of firms formed by legal agreement. While it may not be obvious to the average consumer, Microsoft, by trying to negotiate an agreement between the two businesses so it could have a better grip on web browsing, hints at wanting to form a trust between the two. Not many people…

prices of their products. This is classified as a horizontal agreement because it involves competitors. They do this in order to manipulate prices to gain an unfair advantage. The government has a law in place for this issue called the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890. This law requires each company to set its prices and other terms on its own. Generally, the consumer expects the price of a product to be determined by the current supply and demand. This is not the case with price fixing, as competitors…

Microsoft Anti-Trust Lawsuit Microsoft is one of America's top computer companies but, in 1999, it was accused of violating the law through the methods it used to promote its internet browser, "Internet Explorer." The case against Microsoft was brought about by the government and claimed that Microsoft was in violation of the Sherman Act, a law designed to fight monopolies. When that case was finally decided, and it was found that Microsoft had indeed broken U.S. law, a competitor, AOL Time…

Anti-Trust Laws The anti-trust movement in America during the late 1800s and early 1900s is a prime example of the conflict in society between autonomy and responsibility. Trust-related issues tested the extent to which the government could allow businesses to maintain their autonomy and at the same time fulfill its responsibility to protect the right of the common worker. America was founded on the principles of free enterprise. Throughout its history, the United States government maintained…