WSJ: Microsoft to Settle Private Antitrust Cases
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news), which recently reached an antitrust settlement with the U.S. Justice Department (news - web sites), is on the point of settling a raft of private antitrust cases, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Tuesday.
The paper said that the software giant has tentatively agreed to give software and computers to more than 14,000 of the poorest U.S. schools over a five-year period, which would help resolve the majority of its pending private class-action lawsuits.
The proposed settlement, the details of which are still being ironed out, will be about $1.1 billion, the paper said.
The settlement stems from claims that Microsoft abused its market position by millions of people too much for their computers and software, the Journal said.
If approved, about 100 private antitrust claims will be dropped, the paper said.
The Journal said the deal was negotiated over the weekend and must be approved by U.S. District Judge Frederick Motz in Baltimore, who is dealing with the class-action suits. |
