GATES BITES BACK; MICROSOFT'S CHAIRMAN LASHES OUT AT GOVERNMENT, CRITICS.Byline: George Tibbits George Tibbits was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. He was born in Warwick, Rhode Island on January 14, 1763. He pursued classical studies and engaged in business in Lansingburg, New York in 1784. Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates (person) Bill Gates - William Henry Gates III, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, which he co-founded in 1975 with Paul Allen. In 1994 Gates is a billionaire, worth $9.35b and Microsoft is worth about $27b. fired back at his increasingly vocal critics Friday, accusing them of a ``witch hunt'' aimed at hampering the software company's ability to compete. His remarks were the latest in a drive by Microsoft to blunt a rash of criticism provoked by the Justice Department's charges last month that Microsoft abused its market dominance Market dominance is a measure of the strength of a brand, product, service, or firm, relative to competitive offerings. There is often a geographic element to the competitive landscape. in PC operating software to shut out rivals. Consumer activist Ralph Nader  This page is currently protected from editing until (UTC) or until disputes have been resolved. joined the fray this week by sponsoring a conference at which critics portrayed the company as an out-of-control monopoly. Gates contended high-tech rivals were behind the accusations. ``We do have some competitors who have chosen to fund these things "These Things" is an EP by She Wants Revenge, released in 2005 by Perfect Kiss, a subsidiary of Geffen Records. Music Video The music video stars Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage. Track Listing 1. "These Things [Radio Edit]" - 3:17 2. and promote these activities in order to handicap Microsoft in a competitive market,'' Gates said at the company's annual shareholders meeting. Gates was retaliating deep inside friendly territory. Shareholders, many of whom have gotten rich off Microsoft stock, were more focused on record company profits than on the government probe. This past year alone, Microsoft's stock has nearly doubled in value. ``When you get a witch hunt atmosphere like this, it's nice not only to defend yourself but to have the owners, which you are, and also the customers . . . speaking up as well,'' Gates told the roughly 1,500 shareholders at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. At the end of the meeting, they gave Gates and other company officers a standing ovation. The Justice Department lawsuit accused Microsoft of violating a 1995 consent decree A settlement of a lawsuit or criminal case in which a person or company agrees to take specific actions without admitting fault or guilt for the situation that led to the lawsuit. A consent decree is a settlement that is contained in a court order. barring the company from anti-competitive practices Anti-competitive practices are business or government practices that prevent and/or reduce competition in a market (see restraint of trade). Anti-competitive practices can include: Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. to also use its Internet browser, known as Internet Explorer. That has shut out software rivals such as Netscape, which sells the popular Navigator browser, the government charged. Gates contended that Microsoft has played a crucial role in making the PC business ``the model industry in the entire economy,'' with high rates of innovation and openness. Consumers can choose from a wide range of hardware and enjoy rapid improvements along with falling prices, Gates said. The company's Windows operating software has been central to that, he said, by becoming an industry standard that Microsoft has chosen to sell at a low price. Gates said Microsoft's decision to incorporate browser technology into Windows predates the founding of its chief Internet rival, Netscape Communications, and is simply part of ``the march of progress.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates adjusts his glasses during an address to the company's stockholders Friday in Seattle. Associated Press |
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