GUATEMALA CITY -- Citing Microsoft's dominance in the personal-computer industry, European Union regulators imposed tough sanctions, including a record fine of 497 million euros (about $596 million). Following the arguments of this ruling, South Korean authorities have taken their own actions. Meanwhile, Japanese officials raided Microsoft offices in Tokyo in search of evidence of misdeeds. Earlier, U.S. antitrust regulators had registered a partial victory in a court battle to rein in the software giant.
But even if all these actions are successful from a legal standpoint, it is not clear that they represent a victory for the consumer. Among the unexpected winners are the politically ambitious and Microsoft's weaker competitors.
In each event, the issues at stake are about much more than Microsoft. If these antitrust actions are successful, private property rights will become hostage to the intuitions and inclinations of regulators. It may also result in the effective nationalization of certain assets.