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Ellison Blasts Microsoft, Gates

Oracle CEO calls Microsoft%squots business practices %dquotpatently illegal.%dquot

By Nancy Weil, PCWorld   

In the wake of the antitrust lawsuits filed last week by the U.S. Department of Justice and 20 state attorneys general, Ellison gleefully blasted Microsoft and Bill Gates, its chair and chief executive officer, saying it has %dquotan absolute monopoly.%dquot

%dquotWhat Microsoft is doing is patently illegal. Think about it. If you want to build computers, you%squotve got to ask Bill%squots permission,%dquot Ellison said. %dquotIf Bill wanted to triple the price on Windows, what would you do? You%squotd pay; you wouldn%squott have any choice.%dquot

Referring to Microsoft e-mail messages submitted by the government as evidence of Microsoft%squots illegal attempts to dominate the World Wide Web browser market, Ellison said, %dquotIt%squots a simple strategy. You take what you can%squott sell, you glue it into the operating system, and you raise the price of the operating system.%dquot

While Microsoft has said that government intervention in its business will stifle innovation, Ellison scoffed at that claim, saying that most innovation related to browser technology was done by Netscape Communications, then Microsoft came in to steal the market.

%dquotWhat they%squotre doing is not the least bit subtle. The result of all the innovation will be bankruptcy for Netscape,%dquot he said, adding that Microsoft%squots business practices are %dquotmore blatant than anything [John D.] Rockefeller ever did.%dquot Microsoft has chosen to abuse its monopoly position, and the way it has gone after Netscape is proof, Ellison said.