Lawsuits fly at Microsoft

     Redmond, Wash. (eFront News) – A flurry of lawsuits are expected to be filed against Microsoft Corp. in the next few weeks after U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson found that Microsoft was a monopoly as a matter of law. Judge Jackson’s findings are setting a precedent for other civil actions that can be based on the fact that Microsoft has a monopoly in the desktop operating system market.
One lawsuit, filed Monday in San Francisco, is a class action suit under California law charging that Microsoft used its monopoly power to overcharge customers purchasing Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows 98 products. The lawsuit also claims Microsoft products face little competition among other desktop operating systems. Plaintiffs are expected to argue for a refund of the difference between what their experts say Microsoft would have charged for Windows if there were competition in the market and the actual price.
Microsoft is expected to have a strong legal defense to any possible civil actions against the company. One of Microsoft’s expected arguments is that Windows competitor IBM OS/2 costs nearly twice as much as Windows 95 or 98, although it does have a slightly different market. In addition, there is the possibility that an appeals court could overturn Judge Jackson’s findings, as they have done in the past with other anti-Microsoft rulings.