The action was brought by individuals and businesses who said
the company used its monopoly power to overcharge them for direct
purchases of the Windows operating system software. Microsoft will
pay each purchaser a portion of the price paid for the software –
without admitting liability.
Microsoft has settled a number of antitrust cases this year,
most recently with former operating system rival Be Inc., which it
agreed to pay $23.25 million. Some actions are still outstanding,
however.
Sun Microsystems is continuing litigation over what it claims is
Microsoft's abuse of monopoly power in connection with Sun's Java
Virtual Machine, while in Europe an EC investigation into monopoly
abuses by the software giant is nearing its end.
The Commission has issued a statement of objections and is
waiting for Microsoft to respond. The most recent reports suggest
that a hearing has been arranged in November for Microsoft to
present its case.
