As the list of Microsoft adversaries receiving multimillion-dollar legal settlements grows, eyes are now turning to streaming media pioneer RealNetworks as a potential buy-off candidate.
Following deals this week with Novell and a computer industry trade group, Microsoft's top lawyer called RealNetworks the last company standing in the software giant's "litigation path" as it seeks to overturn a seminal European antitrust ruling that could force it to break out applications bundled in its Windows operating system.
RealNetworks has been a key participant in Europe's antitrust actions against Microsoft, and last December filed its own lawsuit charging Microsoft with illegally using its monopoly in desktop computer operating systems to thwart competition in the market for digital-media players. A representative for Microsoft declined to comment on settlement talks between the two companies, saying only that the RealNetworks case was still developing, with nothing new to report at this time.
News source: C|Net News.com
Following deals this week with Novell and a computer industry trade group, Microsoft's top lawyer called RealNetworks the last company standing in the software giant's "litigation path" as it seeks to overturn a seminal European antitrust ruling that could force it to break out applications bundled in its Windows operating system.
RealNetworks has been a key participant in Europe's antitrust actions against Microsoft, and last December filed its own lawsuit charging Microsoft with illegally using its monopoly in desktop computer operating systems to thwart competition in the market for digital-media players. A representative for Microsoft declined to comment on settlement talks between the two companies, saying only that the RealNetworks case was still developing, with nothing new to report at this time.
News source: C|Net News.com
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Real is junkware, holding onto nothing but a couple file formats they won't let anyone else use.
There are too many differences between the original real player and WMP which was used purelly for internet broadcasts, if anything - real have been trying to copy WMP player by trying to make their product an all in one unit - albeit stuffed with adds and offers.
I can understand people choosing to use WMP over Real - but this has little to do with it being pre-installed and more to do with the fact that Real Player used to be great but is now CRAP - that has little to do with MS
So I guess every other audio or media player will be claiming they are also hard done my MS??
Microsoft has been convicted of abusing their monoply position, and this puts them in a different legal category than other companies (such as Apple).
The bottom line is that Microsoft cannot legally bundle software as freely as other companies can.
STV
But didn't Windows 98 include some changes designed specifically for Real's software to underperform? Or at least could not figure out what MS did to make their player slower and Media Player faster . I remember that was a huge thing back in the day, so Real may deserve some cash.
BTW, lots of people forget that Glaser called his old company right at about the time the DOJ lawsuit got going. Of course, it was illegal for BillG or SteveB to talk to him. So Glaser testified against them...just like he threatened to do.
Then all of a sudden, money poured into the Windows Media division. Coincidence? Perhaps...
But the bottom line is that Glaser had crap, and didn't have a roadmap to make it better. He apparently thought (just like Netscape once thought) that he had a stranglehold on the market, and he ended up resting on his laurels. He obviously skipped reading The Art of War...
I wish they'd bring back the laws to ensure a level playing field in the business world, then maybe all of our stores wouldn't be multinational chain stores, all of our news wouldn't be reported by the same three companies, and we may actually have some REAL choice in this world. Of course, the problem is significantly worse here in North America, in Europe, privately owned stores still outnumber the multinationals in many areas - imagine that, being able to go into a store and buy a product that is unique to that store. It seems that here, every shopping area/mall is so nondescript and generic that you could be in absolutely any city in North America.
Last edited by 1798 on 14 Nov 2004 - 17:21
Lastly, and tangentially, be thankful MS is in charge - at least they do allow you an option. Try and remove something from OS X, or customize it....ha ha. Try and see how apps actually run, raw performance wise. You'll thank God every day you have your Win XP box.
A world without Microsoft is a return to closed systems (Mac) and the dark days of telnet sessions (Uni
To be a successful business in today' economy one must innovate. Microsoft has been constantly, the majority of it's areas doing that. Unlike Real, Sun etc. This gives them a competitive advantage unlike any other. However, the best indicator of the future is the past - look at yahoo and msn search being crushed by new entrant Google. Look at the firms that didn't innovate ...Sun, Netscape, Real - MS is just as vulnerable as all of them. Except MS has more cash to innovate.
Sorry if this was semi-incoherent, but I feel passionately about this and business. I respect MS as a case study of the American dream and as one of the most successful American firms in history.
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