Ah what? heres another SuperSized double whammie as only you know Neowin to deliver. This time courtesy of our friend Paul Thurrott (checks if 2 R's and 2 T's are there, yep). Who ever said what goes around comes around was right in this case it's Windows 98 coming back to haunt Microsoft and Bill cashing in on its success (and why not?). Enjoy!
Iowan Windows 98 Users to Get Refunds
Speaking of Microsoft antitrust woes, thousands of consumers who purchased Windows 98 in the state of Iowa, which is one of the non-settling states in the Microsoft antitrust trial, may soon be getting a refund. Microsoft, you may recall, was found guilty of price fixing, where it artificially kept the price of its Windows products high, since the company has no viable desktop OS competition. So this week, the Iowa Supreme Court reinstated a lawsuit that argues that consumers who purchased Windows 98 at retail, or received it with a new PC, are entitled to a $40 refund. A representative for the Iowa Attorneys General office called the ruling "a momentous decision that helps consumers." What's nice about this ruling is that it nicely bypasses a brain-damaged federal law that prevents consumers from suing the maker of a product they indirectly purchased. That's because, under Iowa law, consumers who are "injured by conduct prohibited under [the state's competition laws] may bring suit." Common sense prevails.
Gates Sells $400M in Microsoft Stock
When the world's richest man needs a little weekend spending money, he doesn't head to the ATM machine like you or I, no, he sells a little bit of Microsoft stock. And this month, Bill Gates did just that, selling over $400 million worth, with more to come in the near future. The sale represents about 8 million shares, with another 2 million shares (worth almost $100 million) expected soon. Don't worry about Bill's financial holdings, though: He currently owns over 5.4 billion shares of Microsoft stock, or about 12 percent of the company. That's almost $300 billion worth.
News source: Wininformant - WinInfo Short Takes: Week of June 17
