Good News for Microsoft
Yahoo | at | by Mike
According to an article in the New York Times today, even if people choose to file against Microsoft, for whatever reason, the case is unlikely to come to trial soon enough for them to successfully prove that they have been harmed. The first group of class actions, which the Times notes are furthest along, are not scheduled to be heard until August 2002, before Judge Stuart R. Pollack of California Superior Court in San Francisco. So far, more than 118 cases have been waiting for a hearing for almost 3 years.
Without a firm remedy from the government, experts believe it is unlikely that any of the dozens of private law suits will have any effect on Microsoft's practices. Although the company has amassed substantial legal costs in defending itself thus far, the article states that it would take an enormous fine to make an impact on Microsoft before it thought twice about continuing antitrust activities.