The current European Union moves against Microsoft and Internet Explorer are, of course, nothing new. After an American federal judge ruled in 2000 that Microsoft had illegally abused its monopoly by including the web browser as part of Windows, twenty-one states filed class-action lawsuits against the company on behalf of citizens, businesses, and government entities.Reuters is reporting that the last of those lawsuits--the one with Mississippi--has just been settled. Approved by Hinds County Judge Denise Owens, the settlement will entail Microsoft's paying $40 million to the state within forty days and $60 million to individuals, schools, businesses, and local governments.
Mississippi Attorney General's spokesperson Jan Schaefer said, "[Microsoft] were over-charging customers and creating a monopoly. Anyone who made a purchase [in Mississippi] from January 1, 1996, to today [June 11, 2009] is eligible for a share of the money."
CNet reports that this "share of the money" will come in the form of vouchers worth $5 or $12, depending on what Microsoft products people had bought, for use in a future purchase. CNet's Ina Fried writes that "[p]roducts eligible for the $12 vouchers include three older Windows versions--Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME. Among those that qualify for the $5 vouchers are Office (or components such as Word and Excel), MS-DOS, Windows 1.xx-3.xx Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 and Windows XP."
It has been argued that such voucher settlements actually benefit Microsoft in that they lead to new sales. However, in this case unclaimed vouchers will be tallied up and passed on as cash to the state (up to $8 million).
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood concluded that "[t]he money that will be going into the state coffers will really help in this economically challenged time."
The Mississippi figure was the largest of all of the twenty-one settlement amounts, and it is certain that these older American lawsuits against Microsoft are being examined by the EU in its current actions against the company.
$5 to $12 for something double the price. red hat $29 at the time windows 95 $89 and we get 12 max and its a voucher $12 of $399 of 4 times the double over charge. There is no justice in this. Microsoft monopoly wins.
Well, why stop there. RedHat should also have to pay up since you can go out and download Ubuntu for free.
Let's really punish Red Hat, and make them give away their Enterprise Linux for free!
Oh, wait. They already do.
http://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/linux/enterprise/
"We are so deep in the !@#$ing economic crisis, and our only hope is to use the law as an excuse to get money from rich companies."
Losers.
Since they filed this court case back in 2000 to get money to help themselves in the crisis now.
"We are so deep in the !@#$ing economic crisis, and our only hope is to use the law as an excuse to get money from rich companies."
Losers.
Yeah that about sums it up.
"We are so deep in the !@#$ing economic crisis, and our only hope is to use the law as an excuse to get money from rich companies."
Losers.
You protect microsoft?
You get a $12 voucher look at the price difference. Red hat is still like $49 and $89 for enterprise edition and windows vista is like $200 for basic and the enterprise edition is in the $600 - $800 range. Wake up.
"We are so deep in the !@#$ing economic crisis, and our only hope is to use the law as an excuse to get money from rich companies."
Losers.
You protect microsoft?
You get a $12 voucher look at the price difference. Red hat is still like $49 and $89 for enterprise edition and windows vista is like $200 for basic and the enterprise edition is in the $600 - $800 range. Wake up.
Then go buy RedHat.
"We are so deep in the !@#$ing economic crisis, and our only hope is to use the law as an excuse to get money from rich companies."
Losers.
FYI, this lawsuit against Microsoft has been ongoing for the better part of a decade, it has just finally been settled. I live in Mississippi, and I can tell you that Jim Hood has been very adamant about protecting consumers in Mississippi from the interests of big business.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hood
"We are so deep in the !@#$ing economic crisis, and our only hope is to use the law as an excuse to get money from rich companies."
Losers.
You protect microsoft?
You get a $12 voucher look at the price difference. Red hat is still like $49 and $89 for enterprise edition and windows vista is like $200 for basic and the enterprise edition is in the $600 - $800 range. Wake up.
Wow, the guy that sold you Vista Enterprise edition for $600-$800 made some mad profit.... lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hood
I live here too. It was shock to see Mississippi in the news on neowin, especially anything technology related. lol
So are they going to mail us $5 or what? I do know MS sure needs 100 million. LOL
"We are so deep in the !@#$ing economic crisis, and our only hope is to use the law as an excuse to get money from rich companies."
Losers.
You protect microsoft?
You get a $12 voucher look at the price difference. Red hat is still like $49 and $89 for enterprise edition and windows vista is like $200 for basic and the enterprise edition is in the $600 - $800 range. Wake up.
Where the F*&%*&ck are you getting your numbers?
Why don't you wake up? Go to newegg, and look up the cost of Vista Ultimate OEM. Because if you saw anone charging anything over $175 you paid too much.
People like you absolutely annoy the dogS^%t out of me. You make claims that are absolute bull and don't even care to go look it up before posting.
BTW, RETAIL for Ultimate is $250. Enterprise edition can't be bought by consumers as it is only available by Volume License.
Last edited by Routerbad on 16 Jun 2009 - 13:10
Yes it does. If you read the article it has to do with the bundling of IE to windows and the law suite is for that monopolization.
Good point but the internet was not invented tan or maybe only the military and el gore got ie bundled with ms dos back then.
No internet in 1996? What the hell was I using then?
I was already on the internet back in 1993, using a dialup BSD Unix shell account and an Amiga. It was text-based back then, except for the very first few experimental web pages. In 1995 I got Win95 and used SLIP with Mosaic to see the graphics. Then eventually got PPP with Mindspring (Earthlink) and cable after that.
All I'm going to say is that the internet was a much better place before AOL came along. AOL is what turned the internet into a dump. AOL brought the morons.
Good point.. People that are to scared to try anything else think that windows is da shiazne but if they try leopard of fedora ubantu susie or other variants. Heck even lindows is good enough to compete with windows, than they would find out that that statement is true in the reverse.
And EU
Also a good point the eu also should go after the pirates as hard. Cuz most people in europe run pirated copies. Imagine a whole village using the same windows on the same key. And since they cant afford the internet microsoft never knows. Only the computer at the library is connected that they share. Kinda like a borat situation there.
What strange Europe is this that you're imagining?
Europe is a village?
1) If the state truly filed the case "...on behalf of citizens and business, why does the state walk away with almost half of the money AND put in place a stipulation putting them in ownership of the value of unclaimed vouchers.
2) I notice that the state isn't getting vouchers. They're given the value of the vouchers if unclaimed and a lump sum... Interesting. This also supports that this was more for the state than anybody.
3) I'm curious how Microsoft was overcharging for their products... I just don't see this... It sounds like this is separate from the IE and WMP issues, but I don't really understand what case this could have really been. It's illegal for companies to name the prices of their own products now? Bizarre...
1) If the state truly filed the case "...on behalf of citizens and business, why does the state walk away with almost half of the money AND put in place a stipulation putting them in ownership of the value of unclaimed vouchers.
2) I notice that the state isn't getting vouchers. They're given the value of the vouchers if unclaimed and a lump sum... Interesting. This also supports that this was more for the state than anybody.
3) I'm curious how Microsoft was overcharging for their products... I just don't see this... It sounds like this is separate from the IE and WMP issues, but I don't really understand what case this could have really been. It's illegal for companies to name the prices of their own products now? Bizarre...
That is american politics. Your politicians will still most of citizens money. So we should be used to that. After all we vote for the guy that seems to promise us the most and seems to be the lesser evil of the 2 evils remaining.
Also, every politician promises the world, but yes, essentially the lesser of two evils I suppose.
1) If the state truly filed the case "...on behalf of citizens and business, why does the state walk away with almost half of the money AND put in place a stipulation putting them in ownership of the value of unclaimed vouchers.
The state itself is a business, and spends a large amount of taxpayer's money on Microsoft products. The use of part of the settlement to fund the state government actually benefits ALL people in the state because that money won't have to come from their taxes.
So they buy windows and don't know what it is, huh?
Please tell me you really arn't that ignorant. Oh, wait, I've seen comments by you on other topics, and you are that ignorant. FYI, Mississippi is actually pretty ahead of the curve on technology compared to many other states in the US. We were the first state in the US to have internet-connected computers in every public school classroom.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/i...FTOKEN=84712266
Missisippi, is not that bad. Although, we do have quite a few people like that. lol
Second option.........add a setup option to a browser from a list. And if a company wants their browser on that list I don't see why MS wouldn't be entitled to $$ for providing this service.
Chill out man. I am sure he was joking as there is a boycott on Opera currently...
RELEASE THE WATER!!!!! >
I have a feeling I'm going to get flamed for not supporting the troops. I support the troops! Just not the mission! Which is why I said bring them home. They could do something useful here...
It's the only thing that keeps Alabama off the bottom of the lists.
It's the only thing that keeps Alabama off the bottom of the lists.
Bottom of what list?
MS should stop selling in Mississippi , like some do when its the EU doing it
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