Microsoft is to file the settlement agreement for approval by a
US court. If its terms are implemented, the company will assist
around 12,500 schools and nearly 7 million children in the US with
a mixture of software, training and subsidised hardware.
“It is a settlement that avoids long and costly litigation for
the company, and at the same time will really make a difference in
the lives of millions of schoolchildren,” said Steve Ballmer,
Microsoft’s CEO.
The agreement has already met with criticism, however. Some have
described the deal as a PR stunt to enhance Microsoft’s tarnished
reputation and also as a covert attempt to gain a greater share of
the market for educational software in the US which has
traditionally been dominated by Apple.
In its defence, Microsoft points out that the money can be used
to buy any kind of software, not just Microsoft’s and that, had
Microsoft lost the class action, each individual would have been
awarded only a few dollars apiece.
