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Science
Friday > Archives
> 1998
> October
> October 16, 1998:
Hour One: Microsoft Antitrust Preview / Pending Technology Legislation
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On Monday of next week, lawyers from Microsoft
and the U.S. Department of Justice will meet in
Washington to begin what may be one of the most
far-reaching court cases of the technological era -
the fight over whether or not the Redmond,
Washington-based software giant has violated
federal antitrust laws in its quest for dominance
in the world's computer markets.
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The Sherman Antitrust Act, the main sword wielded by
the government in its antitrust battles, was created in 1890
- long before computers hit the scene and before
"convergence" became a buzzword. It was used in 1911 to chop
apart John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and, more
recently, to break up the Bell telephone system in the early
1980's. The law makes it a crime to monopolize any part of
interstate commerce. According to the act, a monopoly exists
when only one firm provides a product or service, and has
gained that sole control not because it offers a superior
product or service, but because it has suppressed
competition through anticompetitive conduct.
In May, the Department of Justice brought suit against Microsoft, saying
that it was engaged in an unlawful campaign to eliminate competition,
deter innovation, and restrict consumer choice. It accused the company
of using its monopoly on the Windows operating system to force other
software products on consumers. Microsoft denies that there is a monopoly,
and argues that its success is the result of providing products that
consumers want to use. On this segment of Science Friday, we'll preview
the upcoming case, talk about how this suit compares to past antitrust
actions, and find out what effect the results might have on the future
of the technology industry.
Then, we'll take a look at some pending technology legislation.
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As Congress rushes to finish up action on pending legislation
before it recesses for the fall election season, a number of important
technology bills have moved through the pipeline - but several
important pieces of legislation still remain Congress has agreed
to postpone collecting taxes on sales over the Internet for three
years. They've passed a bill protecting companies from Year 2000
computer problem-related lawsuits, and have agreed to legislation
designed to protect copyright of information on the Internet.
Still pending, however, are bills dealing with some of the seamier
sides of the Internet - pornography and gambling - and bills dealing
with encryption policy and spam have been set aside until next
session.
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On this segment of Science Friday, we'll talk about what tech bills are
in the works - and what effects the ones that have been passed may have
on technology worldwide.
Guests:
James Grimaldi
Washington Correspondent
Seattle Times
Washington, DC
Mary Lou Steptoe
Antitrust Partner
Skadden, Arps
Washington, DC
Jeri Clausing
Technology Reporter
New York Times Online
Baltimore, MD
Deirdre Mulligan
Staff Counsel
Center for Democracy and Technology
Washington, DC
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
Microsoft
documents on the case
Department
of Justice documents
FINDLAW
feature on the Microsoft case
Antitrust
Enforcement and the Consumer
Consumer Project on
Technology (anti-Microsoft group)
Previous
SciFri program on Microsoft antitrust suit
THOMAS: legislative information from
the Library of Congress
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
Center for Democracy and Technology
Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial
E-mail (CAUCE)
This segment produced by:
Annette Heist
Charles Bergquist
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