downtoearth-subscribe

Logging on to a fresh row

  • 30/03/2004

Microsoft Corporation is in the soup, or should we say sushi, again. This time a controversy embroiling the software giant has erupted in Japan. It is suspected of having violated the country's anti-monopoly laws.

The Japanese Fair Trade Commission raided the Tokyo offices of the Redmond (us)-based company as part of investigations into its deals with local computer makers. Microsoft has allegedly imposed unfair deals on Japanese hardware firms such as nec, Sony and Hitachi who want to bundle the Windows software in their systems. The software major is said to have forced them to agree not to sue it for patent infringement even if it introduced technology that competes with Japanese firms. Incidentally, it is believed that almost nine out of 10 personal computers in the world run on the Windows platform.

Microsoft, it may be recalled, managed to scrape through an anti-trust litigation in the us in 2002, and is struggling with another legal suit in Europe. The European Commission's judgement is due any time. In the us, the federal authorities indicted Microsoft for tying its web browser Internet Explorer with the operating system to deflect competition from Netscape Navigator.

Related Content