Judge Finds Microsoft Has Monopoly Judge Finds Microsoft Has Monopoly Paul Jones
While an official ruling in the U.S. Justice Department's case against Microsoft Corp. may be months away, already things are looking bleak for the software giant.
In his findings of fact issued late Friday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who has presided over the government's case, wrote Microsoft is in effect a monopoly despite the fact the Internet and other technological advances could threaten that position in the future.
"While consumers might one day turn to network computers, or Linux, or a combination of middleware and some other operating system as an alternative to Windows, the fact remains they are not doing so today. Nor are consumers likely to do so in appreciable numbers any time in the next few years," he wrote.
"Unless and until that day arrives, no significant percentage of consumers will be able to abandon Windows without incurring substantial costs."
That power, Jackson asserted, will allow Microsoft to charge excessive prices for the foreseeable future while having the flexibility to adjust them in time to avoid substantial financial damage.
