Supreme court rejects Microsoft-Best Buy appeal
BetaNews | at | by Mike
The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Microsoft and Best Buy, which clears the way for a class-action fraud lawsuit against the two companies to go forward.The suit stems from accusations from customers that a subsidiary of Best Buy had signed up customers for a trial of MSN Internet Service without their consent. The two companies had previously signed a $200 million marketing agreement surrounding MSN.
Plaintiffs are using racketeering laws to go after Microsoft and Best Buy, and are attempting to argue that the deal between the two companies constituted an enterprise. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act has been used to sue companies before, but this would be the first time the Supreme Court has ruled on a case using that argument.