Comment by causi
2 years ago
The US government has let its definition for monopolistic behavior slip so much over the last few decades I don't think you could successfully prosecute for anything short of sending thugs to break your competitors' kneecaps. The days when the DOJ would prosecute a company for including a web browser with an OS are long gone.
The facts were different in the Microsoft case. If they had built in Internet Explorer as a "free" feature in a Windows upgrade it would have been tough to prove anticompetitive behavior. But they originally sold IE as a separate product, like as boxes in retail stores. They only bundled it with Windows later and there was clear evidence during the trial that they made the change specifically to kill Netscape.
A bit of hyperbole, but otherwise a fair assessment based on my readings. HBR has a piece from 2017 on this.
https://hbr.org/2017/12/the-rise-fall-and-rebirth-of-the-u-s...
The golden era of anti-trust was 1940s-1970s, but faded with the rise of the Chicago School of Economics.
It does indeed seem to be coming back more now.