| In the end, the Supreme Court found Microsoft to be a monopoly, and imposed punishment. The somewhat heavy punishment included several parts. First, Microsoft was split into two separate companies. While one will be allowed to sell the operating system, Windows, the other will be allowed to sell the Microsoft application software, such as Microsoft Office and Windows Explorer. These two companies will not be allowed to merge for a full ten years. In addition to this punishment, the courts put business restrictions on both new companies for the next three and a half years, so that their competitors can catch up. |
