Re: Microsoft Increased Lobbying in '98

["Eric M. Bennett" <ericb@pobox.com>]

Mitch Stone wrote:

>The "everybody does it" excuse covers only
>so many sins, and not this one, in my opinion. The salient fact is that
>Microsoft is currently facing prosecution for antitrust violations, a
>process I think is likely to result (some years from now) in efforts to
>regulate the company. As a matter of common sense we ought track the
>political movements of this monopolist, and not equate them with the
>garden-variety political efforts of companies wielding far less economic
>power. And the truth is, Microsoft may be late to the game (as always),
>but every indication is they intend to play it with gusto.

To the extent that the bringing of the lawsuit may have been accelerated by
lobbying from Microsoft competitors, I think Microsoft's spending on
politics can be excused.  (Note that I'm not certain of the *full* extent
of the effects of anti-Microsoft lobbying on the lawsuit.  Certainly there
has been an effect; how much of one, I'm not sure.)

It may be important that Microsoft competitors helped speed up the progress
of a lawsuit that many people on this list support... but those companies
did not do it for altruistic reasons.  They did it to protect their own
selfish interests.  If they were in the altruism business, they might have
written a big holiday check to the Salvation Army instead.



--
Eric Bennett (http://www.pobox.com/~ericb/)
Cornell University, Field of Biochemistry, 377 Olin Chemistry Lab

Piano, n.  A parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor.  It is
operated by depressing the keys of the machine and the spirits of the
audience.
-Ambrose Bierce