Antitrust Celebrity

Congratulations to PSULaw Professor John Lopatka and his co-author Professor William Page (Florida). A panel of antitrust law scholars have recognized Lopatka and Page's book, The Microsoft Case, as one of the best antitrust books of 2007. Read more about the best in antitrust scholarship from Josh Wright at Truth on the Market, and Dan Sokol at Antitrust & Competition Blog.

Ten years ago, the US DOJ and a host of state antitrust agencies sued Microsoft alleging that it was monopolizing the market for personal computer operating systems by suppressing a competitive threat from Netscape’s web browser and Sun Microsystems’ Java technologies. Lopatka and Page analyze the litigation that ensued from the first idea of a lawsuit through the trial.

Here's an excerpt of a review of the book in 121 Harv. L. Rev. 684 (Dec. 2007):

"Skeptical of antitrust actions in general, Professors Page and Lopatka are at their most provocative when defending the integration of Windows and Internet Explorer, including Microsoft's decision to prevent users from deleting the browser from the operating system. They conclude that integration did not reduce competition, primarily because the government's theory--that competing browsers could eventually become platforms for competing operating systems--was speculative and unsupported. The authors are generally uncompromising in their defense of Microsoft, and they conclude that although its actions may have harmed competitors, they did not harm consumers."

The Harvard L. Rev. book review editor seems a bit irked about the authors' thesis. RedLion Reports could not possibly be prouder.