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Microsoft won a resounding victory Friday as a federal judge approved the Bush administration's antitrust settlement with the company and largely rejected nine states' efforts to impose tougher sanctions. Dan Gilmor comments:

"Microsoft, serial corporate lawbreaker, is getting away with it. Competition took a hit on Friday. So did the usefulness of antitrust law. And so did innovation, which is the worst loss of all. [...] Microsoft got away with it, but that doesn't make its crimes acceptable. What can we do about this? Very little in the short term, I fear. Microsoft, which laughably claims it's planning to be a benign or even enlightened dictator, could rule the technology world for years, maybe decades, to come.

Since technology will be a piece of everything we touch, get ready to find Microsoft's unclean fingers in every pocket and wallet. The one chance is for people to realize what's at stake and do something difficult: Make choices that mean less convenience today in order to have liberty tomorrow."

Dan Gilmor's eJournal: Microsoft - Freedom to Dominate >>