Microsoft probe grows usatoday.com
And to paraphrase Letterman, we all know how painful that can be. Remember the story about the Microsoft babes at Bill's "free" lovefest at local theaters near you? "We call it 'squirting'"? What'd they call that one Jay? Microsoft Rocks? Radical Microsoft? Anyway, this particular expansion is on the subject of Bill's "innovative" Palm Pilot, I mean Palm PC, er, make that palm-size PC. Microsoft must be free to "innovate", you know.
Microsoft is offering a coupon for a free copy of Windows 98 - its new operating system for desktop PCs - to customers who buy a palm-sized PC powered by Microsoft's Windows CE software by June 30.
Windows 98 is an upgrade of Windows 95, which runs 90% of desktop PCs. Antitrust law frowns on using a monopoly product to gain advantages in new markets, and on predatory pricing, or selling a product below cost to lock out rivals. . . .
Courts generally let companies package new products with dominant products in the ''first few months'' of a new product introduction, says William Kovacic of George Mason University Law School. But he adds, ''If I were a monopolist I'd be worried.''
The paper also slips up on sacred intellectual property rights and starts using this "Palm PC" thing that Microsoft settled with 3Com on. I hope Bill gives them a call, informing them how important intellectual property rights are and how great Microsoft's respect for the law on that matter. They must be free to innovate legally, too.
Cheers, Dan. |
