Get a FREE PC from Microsoft
p2pnet.net News:- Only about 4% of some 14 million people who are eligible to file claims against Microsoft as part of a settlement have done so.
In January 2003, Microsoft agreed to pay up to $1.1 billion in vouchers to to settle class-action lawsuits in California that claimed Microsoft violated antitrust and unfair competition laws.
Lindows (oops – Linspire) founder Michael Robertson used the case as an advertising gimmick.
His website carried a message to Californians saying, "In connection with a legal settlement, you may be eligible for a FREE PC and allowed to purchase up to $100 worth of software paid for by Microsoft!"
The $100 worth of software was, of course, Lindows (oops, Linspire).
Plaintiffs’ attorneys estimated that 14 million people would be eligible for the vouchers, most of them business customers, says a Mercury News story here.
"So far, about 590,000 claims from individuals have been filed, along with about 2,500 claims from businesses, according to the claims administrator.
"Buyers of Microsoft products can apply for a voucher which can be used toward the purchase of any brand of computer or software."
The deadline is officially April 28 but is likely to be pushed back into May or June, says the story, which adds that two-thirds of any unclaimed settlement money will go to California’s ‘neediest’ public schools, and one-third will be kept Microsoft.
Run, don’t walk ….
