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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DavidIsMyName who wrote (36246)	1/10/2000 4:39:00 PM
From: Charles T. Russell	Respond to of 74651

You're correct. Monopolies aren't illegal, however they are usually regulated. The issues, in this case, centered around whether MSFT is a monopoly and if so, how the monopoly power was acquired. Quite a few industry players lined up and described the monopoly power MSFT wields and that they gained this power through 'predatory practices'. I'm not sure that the 'predatory practices' accusations will hold up, but I do expect a minor slap on the softies' wrist just to let DOJ save face. However, if deemed a monopolist, MSFT may be subject to federal government measures that 'regulate' the monopoly. If that were to happen, I'd expect that the shareholders would benefit by spinning off the OS division into a separate regulated (or quasi-regulated) entity.