IP: More on Findings of Fact in MS/DOJ ... an opinion

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Sat, 6 Nov 1999 12:51:12 -0700
> From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
> Subject: Re: IP: Findings of Fact in MS/DOJ ...
>
> An initial response to the court findings was aired on C-SPAN last night.
> It included comments by a person identified as a "Microsoft advisor" (who
> probably was NOT speaking *officially* on behalf of MS).
>
> The strongest response/spin -- such as it was -- that he stated, was that
> the low price of MS Windows makes it clear that Microsoft is not using its
> monopoly position to harm consumers.  (He completely the price of MS'
> applications packages, and ignored the findings that MS had repeatedly
> repressed development of competing software.)
>
> But please note:
>
> In the days of the Bell (AT&T) telecom monopoly, we also had "low" phone
> prices -- for residential local-loop service (like MS Windows), *only* --
> but prices for business use and long distance that were *much* higher (like
> MS applications software) than we have had since the AT&T sorta-breakup,
> especially considering inflation!
>
> And, like the old Bell monopoly's any-phone-you-want-as-long-as-it's-black
> "service," massive and expensive PBXs, clunky and expensive modems, and
> turgid telecom technological improvements (compared to what happened after
> independent interconnects were finally allowed) -- the court found that
> Microsoft, also, systematically used its OS-near-monopoly and market clout
> to suppress innovation and improvements by independents and competitors.
>
> If it was valid to break up AT&T in the '70s, it's surely valid to break up
> *this* quarter-century's newest abusive monopolist.  Let *real* competition
> and innovation rein -- not threats, repression and big-bucks politican
> donations!
>
> --jim, Jim Warren
> Contributing Editor & technology public-policy columnist, MicroTimes Magazine
> Also GovAccess list-owner/editor; 345 Swett Rd, Woodside CA 94062
>   voice/650-851-7075; fax-for-the-quaint/650-851-2814; jwarren () well com
>
> [self-inflating puff: Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award, Playboy Foundation;
> Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (in its first year);
> James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award, Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Calif
> founded InfoWorld; the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; etc etc etc.]

_____________________________________________________________________
David Farber
The Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems
University of Pennsylvania
Home Page: http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~farber
Email: farber () cis upenn edu

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