Early last evening, a federal judge declared that Microsoft is a monopoly power and has abused its monopoly power status. Here’s the details from CNNfn (“MSFT ruled a monopoly“):
“Three main facts indicate that Microsoft enjoys monopoly power,” Jackson wrote. “First, Microsoft’s share of the market for Intel-compatible PC operating systems is extremely large and stable. Second, Microsoft’s dominant market share is protected by a high barrier to entry. Third, and largely as a result of that barrier, Microsoft’s customers lack a commercially viable alternative to Windows.
Microsoft held a press conference shortly after 19:30 EST and downplayed the judge’s findings. Shares of Microsoft were also down in after-hours trading.
