The Microsoft antitrust case is seen by many as a model for how to constrain the largest tech companies. AAF’s Director of Technology and Innovation Policy Will Rinehart looks back at the lawsuit in light of today’s antitrust zeal, noting the several ways that the case did not serve as good policy then and is a bad model for today.

An excerpt:

The Microsoft antitrust case solidified a view about the nature of high tech. Companies leverage their power to lock in consumers to related products. Thus, outcomes are arbitrary. But tech success isn’t based on contingency; it’s based on competition. When viewed within this context, no one company could have stopped all of it….Tech dominates the charts for the most money spent on research and development for good reason. Competition is cutthroat and relentless, so it is difficult for one company to grab hold of it for long.

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To see an infographic on the findings, click here.