U.S. 1, Microsoft 0.

• Author: Sudo, Phil
• Position: Brief Article

It was billed as the Super Bowl of all business court cases: The U.S. government versus the mighty Microsoft Corporation.

Like many Super Bowls, it turned into a lopsided affair.

The U.S. charged that Microsoft, the nation's dominant software company, was a monopolistic bully--that it crushed competitors illegally to the detriment of consumers. Microsoft countered that its practices were perfectly legal. It said that it faced vigorous competition, and had acted in ways that helped, rather than hurt, consumers. (See page 44.)

In a sweeping statement last month, a U.S. District Court judge sided with the government. The judge, Thomas Penfield Jackson, said, "Microsoft has demonstrated that it will use its prodigious market power and...