Re: just who are these people?

["Lewis A. Mettler" <lmettler@lamlaw.com>]

Eric,

You still have it incorrect.

"Eric M. Hopper" wrote:
> 
> On Tue, Dec 14, 1999 at 01:47:57AM -0500, Lewis A. Mettler wrote:
> >
> > But, just who are these people so insistent upon disagreeing with the
> > judge?
> 
>         Well, I'm not.  It was wrong of Microsoft to have bundled IE.
> That does not prove that bundling is always harmful to consumers.  It
> just proves that bundling something with a monopoly product is most
> likely wrong.

Bundling with a monopoly product is illegal.  That is a separate
determination than fairness and harm.

Bundling is in fact inherently unfair to consumers and harmful.

The only question is whether they can avoid the bundle.

In the case of a bundle with a monopoly product, avoidance is not
possible (the bubblegum case).

If the consumer can easily switch to another product and avoid the
bundle, then those who see that bundled as harmful or unfair to them
will do so, right?

So.  In the case of the burger meat being bundled with the tires, most
will shop across the street where they get their tires a buck or two
cheaper and can pick their own meat or not buy meat at all (browser
less).

But, bundling rarely works unless some power is maintained over the
customer.

That power can be supported if all tire dealers in town likewise bundle
burger meat with their tires.  In that case, you will be buying the meat
regardless of your taste, religion or eating habits, right?  Either that
or do without tires.  So if all tires are bundled with meat (operating
systems with networking technology) then you are still forced to buy
both regardless of your needs and harmed because of it.  In this case,
no one tire company has a monopoly but together they can either fix
price or fix products by bundling.  Oligopolies and cartels do this as a
matter of course.

Again, bundling harms consumers.  And, it harms them all.

Read the findings of facts. Or, use your intelligence.

-- 
Lewis A. Mettler, Esq.(Attorney and Software Developer)
lmettler@LAMLaw.com
http://www.lamlaw.com/ (detailed review of the Microsoft antitrust
trial)