Microsoft Antitrust Case

Paper Summary:

In this paper the author examines the Microsoft antitrust case. The paper starts with a look at the Sherman Antitrust Law, which was passed to combat illegal monopolies. The law encompassed trusts that restricted free trade and monopolies, therefore preventing competition. In 1990, the Department of Justice in the U.S. contended that Microsoft had violated the Sherman Antitrust Law. This paper discusses in detail the contents of the case against Microsoft. It includes the claim that Microsoft tied its Internet Explorer browser program to the Windows operating system, in an attempt to exclude the use of other browser programs on Intel powered machines. The author proceeds to discuss the details of the case in-depth, and provides discussions for and against the case. In conclusion, the author reminds us that computers are a relatively new field. He points out that the public does not understand the intricacies of programs and in many cases does not differentiate between manufactures. All that is important to the public is the functionality.

From the Paper:

"Utilitarianism is an ethical approach stating that what is useful is good. Morally right is the action that gives the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. This is the aim of legislation and is the basis for the antitrust laws. It is assumed that the greatest number of people will benefit from the good of competition. Utilitarianism removes the moral decision between right and wrong and determines that what is morally right is what brings the greatest happiness to the most people. John Stuart Mill equated happiness with pleasure and the absence of pain. He identified levels of pleasure, with that of the mind being the highest and that of the body being the lowest. In the case of Microsoft, it could be contended that the few companies and individuals that Microsoft's monopolistic practices have harmed are by far in the minority. Thus, the greatest happiness has come to the greatest number of people through Microsoft's marketing, software developments, and innovative strategies."

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