Monopoly and Microsoft

Webster's dictionary defines monopoly as 'exclusive ownership through legal privilege, command of supply, or concerted action; exclusive possession or control; a commodity controlled by one party.' In other words, through a variety of means, a producer may obtain sole or near sole control of a market. Through the control of the market, a monopoly restricts production, raises prices above fair market value, and prevents markets from efficient use of resources. This is accomplished towards the goal of maximizing profits (Parkin 120).

Certain characteristics identify a monopoly. First, no close substitutes in the goods market, such as electricity or local phone access. Secondly, barriers to entry prohibit potential competitors from entering the market, for example, legal barriers, natural barriers, and resources. Thirdly, a monopoly is able to economically manipulate the market with respect to its products, to the intent of prohibiting competition. This will be the yardstick by which the company Microsoft will be measured.

Since the 1980's, Microsoft has held a virtual stronghold on the operating system market. Beginning with MS-DOS (disk operating system), and culminating with Windows 95/98, Microsoft has become an integral part of society. Its software not only includes the Windows operating systems, but spreadsheets, word-processing programs, databases, and reference works. Microsoft programs run on a great percentage of all the computers in the world. We rely upon them to sort, send, and receive information in school, business, and even our personal lives. The Microsoft Network provides online content, and it's Internet Explorer browser battled Netscape's for market share. It also provides free e-mail and other services. The fact is inevitable; our lives have come to rely upon the computers that we use every day.

Microsoft's dominion in the market began with quality and accessibility. The company produced a good product and provided the product and support to developers and PC manufactures. Because of the ease of accessibility and quality of software and support, developers were soon creating applications solely for use with Microsoft products. In essence, Microsoft set the standard for all PC (personal computer) based applications. This contributed to the position in the market Microsoft now holds. Now, Microsoft holds approximately 90% of the OS market with no close substitute.

Barriers to entry prevent possible competitors from entering the market. Barriers fall into distinct categories. Control of all or most resources, legal barriers, and natural barriers form obstacles to competition in the market.

Microsoft controls a major portion of the software market due to the standardization of it's products across the PC market. Furthermore, because Microsoft controls the operating system of the PC, its competitors must render their applications and software compatible with the parameters contrived by Microsoft. As stated earlier, most applications are written for Windows 95/98. Consequently, these competitors must always at the mercy of changes made by Microsoft. Other OS developers, such as Linux, Unix, and OS2, lack much of the support provided by Microsoft. Today's PC market is geared solely toward Windows and Windows applications. This limits the ability of any possible competitors to plan for the long run.

In fact, an example of controlling resources is Microsoft's practice of tying. Tying is a practice in which Microsoft would use their leverage in one market area, such as graphical user interfaces, to gain leverage in another market, such as operating systems, where they may have competition (Maldoom 2). In the preceding example, Microsoft bundles their World Wide Web browser, Internet Explorer, into their operating system, Windows 95/98. Netscape, the maker of Netscape Navigator, currently the most widely used Internet browser on the market is now facing some fierce competition from Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Netscape claims that in addition to bundling the browser, Microsoft offers Windows at a discount to original equipment manufacturers (OEM's), to feature Internet Explorer on the desktop of the computers that they shipped, thus eliminating any competition for space on the desktop by rival companies ("Netscape's Complaint against Microsoft." 2). This example displays control of a specific resource, in this case, Internet browser applications.

Legal barriers are another way to obstruct entrance into the market. Microsoft would contract MS-DOS and Microsoft's other operating systems to original equipment manufacturers (OEM's) at a 60% discount if that OEM agreed to pay a royalty to Microsoft for every single computer that they sold (Check 2) regardless if it had a Microsoft operating system installed on it or not. By the contract, Microsoft is guaranteed payment for every computer shipped, regardless of whether or not his operating system was installed in the computer. Thus, without paying double, the manufacturers could not install another company's operating system.

Additionally, Microsoft would specify a minimum number of operating systems that the retailer had to buy, thus eliminating any chance for another operating system vendor to get their system installed until the retailer had installed all of the Microsoft operating systems that it had contracted first (Maldoom 2). Offering its programs as pre-installed applications of Windows software allowed Microsoft to seize a large portion of the software market.

Furthermore Microsoft also would sign contracts with the vendors for long periods of time such as two or three years. In order for a new operating system to gain popularity, it would have to do so quickly, in order to show potential buyers that it was worth something. With Microsoft signing long term contracts, they eliminated the chance for a new operating system to gain the popularity needed, quickly (Maldoom 2).

Not only are contractual laws a legal barrier, but also patents and copyrights. Due to it's vast amount of wealth, Microsoft is able to buy patent and copyrights. An example of this is disk compression ...

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