[Am-info] Legal monopoly?

[Joe Barr]

--=-/CW+DkiewVz02YYDalco
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


Microsoft was given the "Windows" monopoly when IBM went to it to
provide the operating system for its new PC back in 81.  It became the
Windows monopoly when MS stopped the sales of DOS and forced users to go
to Windows.

So there were never illegal means used to gain the monopoly.  Lots of
lots of illegal means to maintain it, though.

See ya,
Joe Barr




On Tue, 2002-04-30 at 15:56, Eric M. Bennett wrote:
> John Poltorak <jp@eyup.org> wrote:
>=20
> >Destruction of competing products my Microsoft is well documented.
> >
> >They stole STACs code and incorporated it in DOS 6.
> >
> >They sabotaged DR DOS by putting spurious code into Windows 3.11.
> >
> >They 'fined' IBM for daring to offer a rival OS on some of its computers=
.
> >
> >They 'stole the air' which Netscape breathed.
> >
> >There are probably many other examples as well...
>=20
> I wasn't saying *Microsoft* obtained its monopoly legally, just that=20
> monopolies are not inherently illegal under the Sherman Act.  In any=20
> event, as far as I am aware, nobody has ever sued Microsoft for the=20
> means it used to originally obtain the Windows monopoly.  Some of the=20
> examples you cite are things that Microsoft did to defend its=20
> monopoly after it was already obtained, which is legally distinct=20
> from original acquisition of monopoly.
>=20
>=20
>=20
> --=20
> Eric Bennett / ericb@pobox.com / emb22@cornell.edu
> Cornell University, Chemistry & Chemical Biology
>=20
> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Ben Franklin
> _______________________________________________
> Am-info mailing list
> Am-info@lists.essential.org
> http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/am-info
--=20
############################################################|
| "The difference between me and the surrealists is that    |
| I am a surrealist."                      Salvador Dali    |
#############################################################

--=-/CW+DkiewVz02YYDalco
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name=signature.asc
Content-Description: This is a digitally signed message part

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org

iD8DBQA8zwlMAd/rkt3pFf4RAv4tAJ0Xx0mTJ0bK4B116InBbx/fPGAubQCgop32
xqBzY4x0mUSGduSP1GajhTU=
=l+v9
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--=-/CW+DkiewVz02YYDalco--