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- From: sichermn@csulb.edu (Jeff Sicherman)
- Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy
- Subject: Re: FCC will proclaim Microsoft is run by Communists! : )
- Message-ID: <Bzoz5n.HD0@csulb.edu>
- Date: 23 Dec 92 03:03:22 GMT
- References: <1992Dec22.040237.14440@tc.cornell.edu> <1992Dec22.161425.0299694@locus.com> <1992Dec22.201103.28693@noose.ecn.purdue.edu>
- Organization: Cal State Long Beach
- Lines: 34
-
- In article <1992Dec22.201103.28693@noose.ecn.purdue.edu> helz@ecn.purdue.edu (Randall A Helzerman) writes:
- >In article <1992Dec22.161425.0299694@locus.com>, lowell@locus.com (Lowell Morrison) writes:
- >|> In article <1992Dec22.040237.14440@tc.cornell.edu> bai@msiadmin.cit.cornell.edu (Dov Bai-MSI Visitor) writes:
- >|> >In article <Bzn0EI.D2w@csulb.edu> sichermn@csulb.edu (Jeff Sicherman) writes:
- >|> >
- >|>
- >|> Lots on Standard Oil & Unfair Competition Deleted.
- >
- >|> MS has not kept the prices down, infact if you look at their $8 a unit
- >|> for bundled Windows for Workgroups vs the $100 per station that the
- >|> end user pays, you might suspect that MS is price gouging the end
- >|> user shamelessly.
- >
- >*sigh* is anybody forcing people to buy MS DOS at $100 a copy? Any sales
- >which go on are completely voluntary between buyer and seller. Obviously
- >both parties are happy about the price or it wouldn't get sold. If
- >Microsoft and its customers are happy, why interfere with them?
- >
-
- Well, this can get pretty complicated with the nuances of anti-trust law
- but there are laws that prohibit manufacturers from discriminating against
- different sellers on *arbitrary* criteria (volume is a valid reason) but
- price fixing and unreasonably controlling the ability and price at which
- your resellers sell the product is generally a no-no. And punishing them
- for not following such anti-competitive practices is also illegal. Whether
- MS's bundling agreements fit these situations, I don't know, but such a
- wide gap in wholesale vs. retail prices (which don't manifest themselves
- in the market due to competition) suggest there is something other than
- good-old-American-captialistic-competition operating here.
-
-
- --
- Jeff Sicherman
- up the net without a .sig
-