Microsoft Timeline

27 Pages 6746 Words

le the case, according to news reports.
On April 3, two days after the collapse of settlement negotiations with the Justice Department, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that Microsoft has violated federal antitrust laws by using its monopoly in the personal computer market to maintain anticompetitive practices. "Microsoft placed an oppressive thumb on the scale of competitive fortune, thereby effectively guaranteeing its continued dominance in the relevant market," wrote Judge Jackson.
Microsoft has been under federal scrutiny since 1990 when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opened an antitrust investigation of the company. Three years later, the FTC dropped its probe and the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would take over the case. On May 18, 1998, the Justice Department and 19 states filed suit against Microsoft for violation of federal antitrust laws.
Judge Jackson issued findings on Nov. 5, 1999 that Microsoft is a monopoly and urged the company to settle its case with the federal government. But after five months of negot...