as an effort to further dominate the computer market by swallowing another competitor. However, if one were to consider the pressure that Microsoft was, and is enduring from the government, one can see an entirely different motivation for the investment. Apple was struggling and this purchase of non-voting stock is helping to keep the company afloat. As long as Apple remains intact, the computer giant we know as Microsoft has another “competitor” that it can point to in its fight against antitrust violations. In October of this year, the government finally asked a judge to order Microsoft to stop requiring PC makers to include Internet Explorer when they install Windows 95 in their computers. Attorney General, Janet Reno, who referred to the company as a monopoly several times in her press conference, claimed that the company had violated the 1994 settlement, and that the Justice Department would seek a $1 million per day fine if they didn’t stop the practice. She said, This administration has taken great efforts to spur technological innovation, promote competition and make sure that the consumers have the ability to choose among competing products. [This} action shows that we won’t tolerate any coercion by dominant companies in any way that distorts competition. (Labaton 2) The government’s petition seeks an order that would bar Microsoft from compelling PC manufacturers to accept their browser as a condition of receiving the OS, Windows 95. It also asks the court to order the company to notify Windows 95 users that they can use any compatible Internet Browser, as well as provide instructions on how to remove Internet Explorer from their computer. In response to the petition, Bill Gates, Microsoft’s chairman and chief executive, said that his company was not violating the antitrust agreement. He proclaimed his belief that his company had every right to improve and add to the basic features of the W...
