Google has made informal complaints to competition authorities in Europe and the US about default settings in Microsoft's IE7. The latest Microsoft browser includes a small window so users can search without opening up a specific page. The default setting sends users to MSN for searches - just as equivalent features in Opera and Firefox send browsers to Google. A spokesman for the search giant told the New York Times it was concerned Microsoft was limiting choice. My take: ...
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Member since:2005-07-06
I'm not an expert in Law, so I'm going to have to do research on what constitutes a Monopoly.
I do not agree with your assertion that having a desktop "monopoly" (which i dont believe they even have anymore) automatic means a browser monopoly.
A monopoly should be based off the actual percentage, not potential percentage.
edit: I'm trying to read through the laws, but they are very hard to decipher meaning and there are is a lot of stuff on anti-trust in different parts of the US code.
By the dictionary definition of monopoly though, Microsoft is not.
Edited 2006-05-03 17:04
Member since:2005-07-02
I do not agree with your assertion that having a desktop "monopoly" (which i dont believe they even have anymore) automatic means a browser monopoly.
It means control on what browser is installed by default. Now, I will personally disagree with you that they don't have a desktop monopoly. 90%+ of the market is large enough for them to wield monopoly power.
Member since:
2005-07-02
One problem: Windows is not a monopoly.
The courts ruled Microsoft used monopolistic business practices.
Same difference. From a legal point of view, this is virtually the same thing. Microsoft is a de facto monopoly, with 90%+ of the OS and Office Suite markets. You don't need 100% to be considered a monopoly...