Microsoft case

On October 19, 1998, Microsoft was in a courtroom. The technology giant and household name was on trial for monopolizing the software industry. They were accused of forcing computer makers to use their internet browser as part of the Windows software. In the process violated Section 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Law. According to Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Law, companies are prohibited to make “agreements in restraint of trade--such as price- fixing, refusals to deal, bid-rigging, etc

3) the company had always capitalized these costs; and 4) the company begins amortization capitalized software costs at the beginning of the following fiscal year. Briefly speculate as to why Microsoft chose to expense all software costs as incurred rather than capitalizing a portion of these

In the U.S. vs Microsoft antitrust case, the Department of Justice claimed that Microsoft had used tactics to protect the monopoly it had over the software and browser industry. The case was brought against Microsoft in 1998, with Microsoft denying that they used their powers of monopoly to prevent other browser and software companies from entering the market. During the trial, the government claimed that Microsoft had in fact engaged in monopoly tactics by bundling their browser, Internet Explorer

Case Study of the Microsoft Monopoly Introduction Microsoft has a long history of engaging in monopolistic behavior, from the initial efforts to protect their operating system business to the forced bundling of key software components including Internet Explorer (Meese, 1999). The goals of this analysis include a critical evaluation of why Microsoft has been investigated for antitrust violations, an assessment of how they are trying to gain monopolistic strength in the computer software industry

The Microsoft Antitrust Case A Case Study For MBA Students by Nicholas Economides* Revised April 2003 Abstract This case study discusses briefly the economic and legal issues pertaining to the antitrust case of the United States and a number of States against Microsoft. * Stern School of Business, New York University, New York, NY 10012, (212) 9980864, fax (212) 995-4218, http://www.stern.nyu.edu/networks/, neconomi@stern.nyu.edu Copyright ©, N. Economides 2 Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5

In the United States vs Microsoft there were 20 states pressing the case. This case was initiated on May 18th, 1998. The judge for the case was Thomas Penfield Jackson of United States District Court. The case was against Microsoft for violating antitrust laws. They were believed to have become a monopoly. Joel Klein was the lead prosecutor for the case. So the court had to decide whether Microsoft was acting a a monopoly and crushing the competition by slowing their software and making the computer

United States vs. Microsoft US Department of Justice alleged that Microsoft abused "monopoly power" when it bundled its Internet Explorer Browser with its Windows Operating System Case Overview Monopolies are defined by having extremely limited or no competition, high barriers to entry, and a significant amount of control over the marketplace. One common example of a company that is viewed as potentially monopolistic is Microsoft. Microsoft is the provider of the most popular operating system

The Microsoft Antitrust Case The Microsoft Antitrust Case In 1998 the Microsoft Corporation was at the center of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) which alleged the company of violating the Sherman Act. The Sherman Act is considered the foundation of federal antitrust litigation, and is used to “combat anticompetitive practices, reduce market domination by individual corporations, and preserve unfettered competition as the rule of trade” (www.law.cornell.edu). The DOJ

Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who were childhood friends, founded Microsoft in 1975. Bill met Steve Ballmer, who would later become the CEO of Microsoft, at Stanford. 2. Bill Gates met the man, who would later become the CEO of Microsoft, at Stanford. 3. The two technology companies, that consistently have the most brand value, are Microsoft and Google. 4. In fact, they consistently showed high profits during the recession. 5. Microsoft and Google, the two companies that consistently have the most brand

Microsoft/Intuit Synergies There is a great deal of synergy between the Microsoft and Intuit that would be beneficial for Microsoft if an acquisition were to take place. Intuit’s position in the personal finance market would lend a considerable benefit to Microsoft given their difficulty in that market. Microsoft would also be able to take advantage of the similarity in their products and use their considerable marketing advantages to enhance the revenue created by Intuit. In 1994, Bill Gates