COPYCENSE

“The more things stay the same, the more they change — as Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. demonstrate in their brewing struggle for Internet dominance. For more than a decade, Microsoft has made fending off antitrust complaints seem as much a part of its big product rollouts as bug testing is for other software companies.

“AOL and RealNetworks Inc., for instance, squared off against the software giant over the way it bundled software and services into its dominant Windows operating system. Netscape’s complaints triggered an antitrust trial that ended with Microsoft operating under federal supervision.

“Now Google is taking its turn. The Internet search leader has warned U.S. and European antitrust officials that a feature of Microsoft’s new version of Internet Explorer could stifle competition in the multibillion-dollar search engine market. Given Microsoft’s history, the concerns draw attention.”

Jim Puzzanghera. Goliath vs. Goliath. LATimes.com. May 7, 2006.

See also:

Steve Lohr. Microsoft and Google Grapple for Supremacy as Stakes Escalate. The New York Times. May 10, 2005.

CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.