Microsoft Critic Nets $9.75m in Settlement

Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) president Ed Black, one of the most outspoken critics of Microsoft, has personally walked away with almost half of Microsoft's $20 million settlement payout, according to documents obtained by the Financial Times.

Microsoft made the payment to the CCIA and announced it would join the association on the same day it ended a longstanding antitrust dispute with Novell in a $537 million cash settlement. In exchange, the CCIA agreed to withdraw from the European Commission's six-year antitrust case against Microsoft and drop any unresolved complaints.

Black's $9.75 million payment was signed off by CCIA board members Sun Microsystems, Yahoo and Oracle. Black also received a three-year employment contract with a $500,000 yearly salary. Microsoft previously said it did not know where the settlement money would end up.

Both Black and Microsoft refused to comment on the deal to the Financial Times, but the paper cites a CCIA member who says Microsoft was likely aware of the bonus granted to Black by CIAA's board.