Seattle, May 30: Microsoft Corp will pay AOL Time Warner $750 million and let the media company license its browsing software for seven years in a settlement to resolve an antitrust lawsuit against the software giant, the companies have announced. The settlement also calls for Microsoft to license its digital media technology to AOL, as well as work with the company to promote digital media initiatives.
Microsoft will provide technical information to AOL to ensure that its products run effectively on the Windows operating system. The agreement resolves a lawsuit AOL filed against Microsoft in January 2002 on behalf of its subsidiary, Netscape Communications. The complaint was one of several private antitrust lawsuits still pending against Microsoft over anti-competitive behavior.
AOL had alleged in the lawsuit that Microsoft used anti-competitive business practices to ensure the dominance of its Internet explorer browsing software over Netscape's software. AOL argued that Microsoft made deals with computer manufacturers and others to shut out Netscape and quash competition. ``These agreements are good news for the AOL Service, its members and the Internet as a whole,'' said Jonathan Miller, chairman of the America Online division. ``It provides America Online with certainty that, as Microsoft develops new operating systems and platforms, the AOL Service will work optimally with them to the benefit of our members worldwide.'' Bureau Report