Interesting But Dangerous Lawsuit Against Microsoft

One of the last Microsoft lawsuits remaining is a 6-year old class action lawsuit in Iowa.

 

In this suit, the plaintiff lawyers want Microsoft to pay "pain and suffering" to consumers for "lost innovation" in the marketplace.

 

Basically, they are saying that Microsoft crushed competitors with better products, and so they created an inferior computing environment.

 

Its been proven that Microsoft abused its monopoly power, but this lawsuit should be dismissed.  If the plaintiffs win, it would set a very dangerous precedence.

 

Its one thing to rule based on facts, like Microsoft did something specific to a certain company.  In fact, most of the lawsuits that Microsoft settled were about Microsoft overcharging for specific products or services.

 

But its downright dangerous if a judge or jury gets to decide historical "what ifs", and what a marketplace "should be".  This would be a form of "central planning" in hindsight.