Microsoft
Microsoft-Reaktion im Wortlaut
"Unprecedented Government Proposals Would Harm American Consumers, Technology Industry and Economy"
REDMOND, Wash. -- April 28, 2000 - Microsoft Corp. today said the
government's unprecedented regulatory scheme is unjustifiably punitive and
would be a major setback for the American economy and consumers. The
company said the government's proposal threatens a core principle in the
American economy: that businesses are encouraged to compete by creating
innovative products that respond to the marketplace and consumers.
Microsoft will file its response to the government's proposal on May 10. The
company said it believes the courts ultimately will rule in favor of Microsoft.
"Breaking up Microsoft into separate companies is not in the interest of
consumers and is not supported by anything in the lawsuit," said Bill Gates,
Microsoft chairman and chief software architect. "Microsoft never could have
created Windows® and Office if they were in separate companies.
Innovations that began within Office have quickly been incorporated into
Windows so they are available to every applications developer. Dismantling
Microsoft would hurt the company's ability to continue to innovate, and that
would hurt consumers. It's anti-consumer to tear apart the development
teams that created two of the most innovative technology products and that
have helped to revolutionize productivity. Microsoft has a proven track
record of delivering consumer value as a single company."
"People can disagree about some of the issues in this case, but the
government's proposals are clearly unreasonable and punitive beyond
reason. These regulations are out of touch with consumers and are
completely out of proportion to the issues in the case. The net effect of
these remedies is that they run against what consumers want: products
that are easy to use, work well together, are innovative and affordable,"
Gates said.
"Microsoft has worked hard for years to develop Windows and Office, and
these products have provided great benefits to millions of consumers. The
message of today is that if you invent two great products, the government
may someday take one of them away. We are proud of the work we did to
add Internet features to Windows. Should the courts decide to rule against
us, we do not believe that provides a reason to deprive Microsoft of its
flagship product," Gates said.
"Customers, partners and shareholders can expect that Microsoft will
continue to compete in a fair and legal manner, as we believe we always
have," said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft president and CEO. "We will continue to
work within the American judicial system to resolve this lawsuit, and we will
continue to move ahead in the marketplace with a great vision for the next
generation of software."
"For months, the government and a handful of our competitors have been
repeating that Microsoft should be broken up. But no matter how many
times it's repeated, it's still unreasonable," Ballmer said. "I remain proud of
the work this company does. We do not believe we have violated the law
and the Court of Appeals has yet to consider this case. We also believe we
have an obligation to our shareholders, employees, partners and customers
to stand up for what we believe is right."
"Microsoft has exciting plans to develop a broad array of next-generation
software products that will take computing to the next level, but those plans
are imperiled by the extreme regulation proposed by the government."
"These government proposals are disappointing. The Court did not find that
Windows and Office became popular because of any wrongful conduct by
Microsoft," said William H. Neukom, executive vice president and general
counsel, Microsoft. "The government's proposals bear little relationship to
the case it presented at trial and they are not supported by the evidence or
the Court's legal conclusions. The case has always been about browser
software, not the relationship between Windows and Office."
"There has never been a court-ordered breakup of a unitary operating
company. The evidence and law applicable to this case fell far short of
providing the basis for such a drastic and unprecedented remedy," Neukom
said.
"This case has always been about browser software, not spreadsheets and
word processors," Neukom said. "The government is seeking to try a whole
new lawsuit involving products, competitors and interests that were not
involved in any way in the case that was tried. In effect, the remedies
proposed by the government acknowledge that competition and innovation
in this industry are moving so quickly that the government no longer cares
about a remedy that addresses the case the government tried in the
courtroom." (Quelle:
http://www.microsoft.com/...
)