WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department today filed suit against Ford
> Motor Company, alleging that Ford's practice of "bundling"
> radios with its cars was a monopolistic restriction of trade, and an
> unfair competitive practice against makers of car radios such as
> Alpine and Pioneer.
>
> "We feel that it is wrong for Ford to give away what other
> companies charge for," said Joe Klein, head of the DOJ's
> antitrust division. "Furthermore, requiring that Ford dealers
> deliver cars to consumers with radios preinstalled restricts consumer
> choice."
>
> Justice demanded that Ford immediately cease shipping cars with
> radios, and that it provide current Ford owners with easy
> instructions for removing their existing radios. Klein also asked a
> judge to impose a $1,000,000 per day fine on Ford for each day it
> failed to comply. "Usually, antitrust fines are about $10,000 per
> day," Klein said. Klein called the amount of the requested fine
> "unprecendented", but then said, "Well, you know, what
> the hell."
>
>
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