e-Bill, I'll let Ralph speak for himself....
votenader.com
What to do with Microsoft?
By Ralph Nader
April 21, 1999
As the government's antitrust case against Microsoft
winds down, the question is no longer whether Microsoft
violated antitrust laws but rather what can be done to
curb its most harmful monopolistic practices.
The case being tried by the U.S. Department of Justice
and 19 state attorneys general has been a textbook
tutorial on how anticompetitive conduct harms consumers
through higher prices, forced upgrades, degraded
performance of competitors' products, and restricted
consumer choice. However, there is no clear remedy for
the hydra-headed problem, and public debate on the
issue is nearly nonexistent.
The corrective measures currently under consideration go
far beyond those imposed on Microsoft in 1995, when,
after years of investigating anticompetitive practices, the
Department of Justice first legally pressed Microsoft to
change its ways. Some have a familiar ring, such as
breaking the software giant into different lines of
business, like the earlier AT&T or Standard Oil cases.
Other remedies are more novel. Among other things, the
government might require Microsoft to:
*Auction off several licenses for Microsoft's
intellectual property, creating instant competitors
for its main software products.
*Provide rival programmers with the technical
information they need to make products work
properly with Microsoft Windows or Microsoft
Office.
*Stop using discriminatory pricing to discipline
computer manufacturers who offer software from
competitors.
*Support or not interfere with open or third party
protocols that run on top of Windows or Microsoft
Office.
*Unbundle various components of Windows or
Microsoft Office.
Some of these sanctions could be implemented on a
"stand alone" basis, while others would work together.
Microsoft itself has not really joined the debate, its
leaders perhaps thinking the lack of consensus will benefit
the company by giving an impression that no one knows
what to do to solve the problems.
But one thing is clear: Any settlement or court-ordered
remedy will have enormous impact on consumers, the
future of the Internet, and the computer and software
industries. Any corrective measure should fit well with an
industry that is rapidly changing, so that the
technological stagnation that now prevails in areas
dominated by Microsoft is replaced with innovation. This
case should end with a strong measure of protection for
the public against monopolistic practices, and the
remedies should be forward looking, aimed at preventing
future harms as well as addressing past transgressions.
The outcome will be instrumental in defining the rules for
competition in the next century.
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