where a company went out of business, and the new software had made the old obsolete" (Corcoran, 2). Today, the government is investigating whether Microsoft is engaging in unfair business practices. The Department of Justice says Microsoft is engaging in unfair business practices by not letting companies delete Microsoft’s Internet Explorer from Windows 95. The manufacturers do not get a license for Windows 95 unless they accept the browser. The government says this is a monopolistic practice. "A monopoly is an exclusive possession of the trade in some commodity…aimed to drive competitors out of business or keep them from entering a market. Where monopolies exist unrestricted competition is lost. So, if one seller controls a market, consumers are left with little choice but to buy that product, and that company has little incentive to improve the product or keep prices reasonable" (qtd. Microsoft Antitrust Issues, 505).Specifically, as Charles Rule has stated, "the Justice Department must prove not only that Microsoft has monopoly power but also that Microsoft has acquired or maintained that power through exclusionary or predatory acts. The law protects the marketplace from private conduct that interferes with the competitive process. The antitrust laws protect competition not competitors. To have a violation of section two of the Sherman Act the court must prove that the defendant has a monopoly power. Rule concluded by saying that the Supreme Court has defined such power as the power to control market prices or exclude competition”(Rule, 1 - 2). Solution 1As illustrated in the story above a solution to the problem is to make changes in the way Microsoft is handling its business. The computer market is limited in systems installed on computers, because Microsoft has “locked in” manufacturers. It is virtually impossible for anyone to challenge Microsoft’s dominance on the desktop. In 19...
