Go files antitrust suit against Microsoft

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Dunno

I recall there were stories going around in the 90s about how MS "killed" Go. The only indication of this I can think of is an add-on that MS brought out for Windows 3.1 called "PenWindows", which allowed pen input. It was pretty basic though. I don't know if there was a lawsuit over it. This seems rather like the Aeolius patent lawsuit. That was also a case of a company that developed some technology back in the early 90s that ended up being implemented by Microsoft and Sun for their products/technologies (though the company's founder only sued Microsoft). As far as I know there's still litigation going on WRT this case(?)

Incidentally, Go was not the only small company that had come out with a pen-based computer. Atari demoed a pen version of the ST back then as well, though I don't think it made it into production. I think Apple had already come out with the Newton before the Go computer was introduced.

I think what the company founder will claim is that even though the technology was primitive and may not have gone anywhere anyway, what MS did WRT to the Go product was illegal. I wonder what sort of damages could be claimed though. Lost sales? But what sales?

Why didn't he bring this sort of suit a long time ago? He probably would've had to have tried to convince the DOJ like Netscape and a few other companies did later. He might not have had the money, much less the clout for that. Plus, when all this happened, Bush Sr. was president. The DOJ probably would not have been receptive to looking at MS back then. There were only rumors, at the time as I recall, that Microsoft was a monopoly. So charging it with anticompetitive behavior that merited taking antitrust action against it would've been a tall order.

Posted by: Mark Miller   Posted on: 07/04/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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