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Legal Issues

by Carlo Longino

Tue, Oct 11th 2005 10:59am





RealNetworks, Microsoft Settle Antitrust Claims

from the gettin-paid-gettin-paid dept

Microsoft has settled RealNetworks' antitrust suit against it, in which Real alleged MS had made it difficult for Windows users to install competing media players. The settlement is pretty huge for Real: it will get $460 million in cash (keep in mind its revenues in 2004 were $266.7 million), as well as $301 million in support for its music and games stores, and a number of partnerships and promotional deals with Microsoft. The cash speaks for itself, but does little to answer claims that Real was as much to blame for its own plight as was anything Microsoft did. The motivation for the partnerships seems two-fold: first, an attempt to wrest power away from Apple in the digital music market, and second, an attempt on Real's part to maintain its relevance by getting its name on some relatively popular properties like MSN Messenger and MSN Search.

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    RadioacitveSmurf (profile), Oct 11th, 2005 @ 11:16am

    Why can't realnetworks just dissapear

    Anyone who has used real player knows that it's spamerific junk. Come on now. It's horrible and should go away not get stronger. This is definatly not a good thing in my books.

     

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      Anonymous Coward, Oct 11th, 2005 @ 3:58pm

      Re: Why can't realnetworks just dissapear

      Oh great, now AOL will be installed in several more places of my computer -- anyone who had installed RealPlayer in the past, knows exactly the frustration i have with it

       

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    Rickler, Oct 11th, 2005 @ 6:24pm

    No Subject Given

    Change the title to "Real player gets money because it sucks to much to compete with WMP"

     

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    Sohrab, Oct 11th, 2005 @ 11:31pm

    Real is too old school

    some companies just couldnt keep up. Real Player and Winamp are perfect examples of Pre windows XP and even mid way into its life time but with iTunes such a big player, winamp is worthless next to it. Same with real, with Winodws media player and quicktime in the front light, why the heck do we need real? it offers nothing.

     

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