The antitrust penalties sought against Microsoft by nine states will help consumers whether or not Microsoft's Windows operating system monopoly is degraded, an economist testified Thursday. Carl Shapiro, an economics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said the added pressure placed on Microsoft by a new range of non-Microsoft products that work as well with Windows will ultimately bring new inventions. "Microsoft's rallying cry in this case has been 'freedom to innovate,'" Shapiro testified, "An effective remedy will ensure that Microsoft's rivals are also free to innovate."
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