Preserving Competition: Economic Analysis, Legal Standards, and Microsoft

Abstract

... Fourth, the investigators looked at complaints that Microsoft did not share information respecting the application programming interfaces (APIs) in its operating system sufficiently soon with other software producers. The APIs allow other software to use parts of the operating system to access files or to utilize links to hardware such as printers. ... One is that Microsoft gave its Web browser away and integrated the browser into its operating system to undercut Netscape's competing Web browser. ... Thus, unlike what most of us think of as "stand-alone" programs, Internet Explorer, whether acquired together with the operating system or subsequently, becomes part of the operating system when installed. ... An operating system is usually a platform, but other products (for example, Netscape's Web browser and JVM) also can act as a platform. ... If the operating system and Web browsing technology are complements, providing such technology at a very low or even a zero price very well could be highly remunerative. ... Judge Kozinski's is a stronger and blunter statement of the point than is typical, but its substantive content is nonetheless within the mainstream of antitrust law. ...