MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-09-07 |
| FROM | From: "Michael L. Richardson"
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Microsoft to pay $23M in Settlement
|
Microsoft to Pay $23M in Settlement
Sep 6, 12:42 PM (ET)
By HELEN JUNG
SEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) agreed Friday to pay $23.3 million
to Be Inc. to settle an antitrust lawsuit that claimed the software
giant negotiated deals with computer makers that cut out the smaller
company's competing operating system.
Microsoft admits no wrongdoing under the settlement. The company did not
disclose further details.
The lawsuit, filed in February 2002, is one of four private antitrust
suits brought against Microsoft after a federal judge's ruling that
Microsoft had acted as an illegal monopoly based on its dominance in
desktop operating systems.
Redmond-based Microsoft resolved one of the private cases in May,
agreeing to pay AOL Time Warner $750 million to settle its private
antitrust lawsuit on behalf of AOL's Netscape division. The other two,
filed by Sun Microsystems and Burst.com, remain in pretrial proceedings
in federal court in Maryland.
Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler declined to say whether the company is in
settlement discussions with either party.
Microsoft also faces another 12 state class- action antitrust lawsuits
filed on behalf of consumers.
Be, based in Mountain View, Calif., contended that Microsoft violated
California and federal antitrust laws by negotiating deals with computer
manufacturers to use Microsoft's operating system exclusively, cutting
out Be's competing operating system. Be is in the process of shutting
down its business under a dissolution plan approved by its shareholders
in 2001.
Microsoft contended that Be failed for reasons unrelated to Microsoft.
"While we believe we would have ultimately prevailed in this case,
Microsoft is very pleased to settle this lawsuit," Microsoft general
counsel Brad Smith said in a statement.
Be's president, Dan Johnston, did not immediately return a call seeking
comment Friday evening.
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