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Archive for November, 2007

Competition and consumer protection

By: psr, 2007-11-11

Antitrust cases in the U.S. and Europe against Microsoft concerning their operating system product were unfair and unnecessary. Because of the nature of computer operating system software, competition in this industry is a different concept compared to other industries. Consequently, the claims against Microsoft in the U.S. and Europe are meaningless. Instead, the U.S. and Europe should focus on liability legislation in the software industry.

False protection for consumers

While competition law may be effective in curbing abusive behavior in certain industries or markets, the operating system and computer software markets have a special characteristic, hardly found in other markets. A car, a telecommunications service, a steel manufacturer’s products, or a bank’s financial services, are all easily replaceable by a competitor’s products or services, in terms of usability …