Posted on 10/11/2005 12:36:23 PM PDT by Panerai
Microsoft today said it will pay $761 million to RealNetworks, one of Apple's major online music competitors, to settle an antitrust suit regarding Microsoft's use of its dominance to promote its own media software. RealNetworks said Microsoft's decision to bundle Windows Media Player for free within the Windows operating system slowed sales at RealNetworks, according to a report from Reuters. Microsoft will pay RealNetworks $460 million in cash up front to resolve all damage claims, and RealNetworks will get licenses and commitments that give it long-term access to Windows Media technologies to enhance the Real Player software, according to the report. Microsoft has also vowed to promote the music and game subscription services of RealNetworks through the MSN internet network, and will earn credit against the remaining $301 million for subscriptions to Real from MSN, according to the report.
bump for later reading
The RealOne Player is practically nothing more than a corporate approved carrier of adware/spyware.
Use it at your own risk!
Well since MS has over $40,000,000,000 in cash reservees a $761,000,000 payout is probabley just a day's worth of interest.
If MS would just give their product away for free then there wouldn't be an issue.
Maybe, but it's money that Real didn't earn and doesn't deserve. Their product has had limited success because it offers limited benefit over competitive products.
This is just another example of our legal system being abused by people to take money from those who have earned it and redistribute it to others after the lawyers get a huge chunk of it.
Every time crap like this happens, it's we the consumers that get screwed.
I agree with Incorrigible, RealOne Player sucks and is nothing more then adware/spyware!!!
Yup--that's why I don't use it. Of couse, I don't use Media Player either--or any other MS product.
VLC is good...IMHO.
I agree. I got disgusted with the spyware and adware Real Player dumped into my pc. I deleted it a long time ago.
Actually, I believe that it was an issue of them giving away their product for free (IE) that was the issue in their lawsuit with Netscape. They only do that when they want to drive another company out of business that is trying to sell a product.
Careful viewing video on websites that promote the Real Player format. Real finds a way to get back on your system and into your startup options. I use the free ZoneAlarm (http://www.ZoneLabs.com) firewall to keep it from phoning home and delete it (again!) when Zone alerts me that it came back.
Just like Open Source!
Close. If one company owned ALL the gas stations in town and they gave away car washes for free, then you would have an anti-trust case. :)
"The RealOne Player is practically nothing more than a corporate approved carrier of adware/spyware."
Yep. Stay away!
But at least with open source, you don't get spyware worms and trojans thrown in as well!
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