Tangent Launches Microsoft Antitrust Suit
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Microsoft is facing another antitrust action in the US, this time from Tangent Computer Inc, which seeks damages and the like.

In a lengthy filing to a US district court in Northern California, Tangent said its business continued to be damaged by Microsoft’s non compliance with the final antitrust ruling.

After running through the history of the PC, Tangent alleges that Microsoft has still failed to comply with a number of instructions and continues to violate Section 2 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C., _2.

It has charged “artificially inflated prices for its operating system software,” injuring Tangent, it’s alleged. Because of “exclusionary practices”, Microsoft has been able to “increase, maintain, or stabilise prices at anticompetive levels” without the constraint of competitors.

Microsoft, Tangent alleged, promotes its own proprietary DRM (digital rights management) standard, which strengthens its monopoly position. It has also “distorted the content format decisions made by content owners, titling such decisions towards Microsoft’s proprietary media formats”, WMV, WMA and WMF. Further, Microsoft, it’s alleged, has failed to provide suitable information to convert .DOC, .PPT and .XLS Office file formats.

Tangent alleges that Microsoft’s server OS includes “special, undocumented interfaces used by its servers to communicate with one another when multiple servers are part of the same network”.

And while you can buy Microsoft Windows in the European Union without the Media Player bundled, those versions aren’t available in the US. “Tests conducted by independent and respected laboratories have confirmed that Media Player can be easily removed from Windows without consequence.”

Tangent wants a jury trial.