To Be Announced...

The next time some big-shot lawyer comes around with a petition or begins a class-action filing for something as silly as the Microsoft case in Iowa...please remember:

Microsoft juror's note grumbled about Conlin

"Just wanted you to know," the note to the judge said, "that several of the jurors are remarking about the absence of Ms. Conlin during our videotape viewing and that (a Microsoft lawyer) is here every day. They ... think Ms. Conlin is probably taking vacation on those days and we don't get vacation. And that's not fair because it's her fault that we're here."

According to the story, six days after the note was written, Roxanne Conlin and Microsoft announced a settlement. Although full details of the "winnings" haven't been released yet, expect....well...not much.

One juror said the videotaped depositions were boring. "It was tough to keep yourself awake," said juror Philip Berg.

If there's any doubt in your mind that this was just another example of lawyers wasting our court systems' time and fleecing companies by forcing them to pay out of sheer boredom, wait until the full release of the deal on April 20th.

As is usual, the lawyers are the only ones getting the big checks when they're out to protect you as consumers in cases like this.

Earlier story: Settlement reached in Microsoft trial

Every Iowan who purchased Microsoft Windows, Office, Excel or Word software between May 18, 1994, and June 30, 2006, can claim a piece of the settlement.

The trial "was exhausting" but interesting, said juror Patrice Mauer, who filled five notebooks with trial notes.

Philip Berg, another juror let out a cheer as soon as the jury was dismissed from the courtroom.

I don't know about you, but I'm hunting right now for all those receipts. Actually, I purchased two computers during that time and I got MS Office included on the computer when I bought them. I have no freaking clue how much hassle I'll have to go through to claim my "prize"...

Apparently, in Minnesota, a similar case was also settled...by Roxanne Conlin:

In that case, the company agreed to pay Minnesota consumers $175 million, which was less than half the amount sought in that lawsuit.

More than $100 million of that total was unclaimed by Minnesota consumers, according to estimates.

They couldn't find their receipts for purchase either. Only 75-million dollars of the settlement was claimed by consumers? The school system only got 50-million?

In the Minnesota case, lawyers' fees of $59.4 million were awarded to a legal team that included Conlin and Minneapolis lawyer Richard Hagstrom, who are also lead lawyers in the Iowa case.

Oh.

Can I sue for mis-using my trust in the anti-trust case?


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Labels: microsoft

I like technology. I have a BlackBerry - often times called a "CrackBerry" because it's so addictive - but I don't think I'll ever need to go this far.

One has to wonder whether or not we are coddling our kids too much with a dependence on technology. In my radio days, I often came across part-time workers who had no clue what to do if the computer ever shut down or didn't work correctly...my response was cold, crisp, and to the point..."See that microphone? Turn it on and say something!"

Besides, I thought all college kids brought their laundry home to their mommies to do...

Iowa Students Get Laundry E-Mail Alerts

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Ding! Time to throw your drawers in the dryer. That's the message University of Iowa students can now receive by e-mail. Thanks to software installed along with new high-efficiency washers last fall, the school's dormitory residents can receive e-mail alerts when their laundry cycles have finished.

The school also has a new Web-based service, called LaundryView, that lets residents look online for open washers and dryers.

It's much too difficult to have our fat-obese-American children walk down the hall to check, of course.

The school paid for the $13,000 annual software fee in part by raising the cost of a load of laundry by about 50 cents, according to Fitzgerald. The company, LaundryView Monitoring Service, has been providing the software to colleges and universities since 2004.

No doubt a reason college tuition costs keep going up. $13,000 yearly fee for this software? Aren't we suing Bill Gates for scamming us into buying a new Windows operating system every 4-years or so?

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Labels: microsoft

I've never felt cheated or robbed by Microsoft. Frankly, I don't really understand the whole hoopla about what they apparently did to me. If it was forcing me to buy Windows XP because Windows ME sucked, then I still have nothing to complain about. I wish Ford could be sued for that lousy Grenada I used to own.

I can't remember the last time I saw the "blue screen of death" using XP and I'm iffy on whether to upgrade to the new Vista operating system. Like any consumer, I'll weigh the benefits and drawbacks before plunking down my money.

If it was the bundling of Internet Explorer and marrying it to my operating system...even that doesn't bother me. It takes up a little tiny space on my 250-gig hard drive and I never use it anyway.

In fact, in the first edition of the GregSays Newsletter, I offer some great computer advice for subscribers.

Only recently did I have a bad experience with Internet Explorer...during a recent Windows Update, I was given the option of installing the new version of Internet Explorer, version 7.o or something. I downloaded it...looked at it...fiddled a bit with it...considered it clunky and a virtual clone of Mozilla...and went back to my Firefox browser. No worries.

Apparently, I'm in pretty good company...

More than 1,100 Iowans sought exclusion from Microsoft lawsuit

DES MOINES, Iowa - More than 1,100 individuals and businesses in Iowa have decided not to be a party in the class-action antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp.

To exclude themselves, business owners or individuals had to contact the plaintiffs' attorneys, saying they wanted to give up their right to any money that might be available if the case is settled or the jury rules against Microsoft.

"This lawsuit appears to be a huge bunch of crap," wrote Mike Franzman, of Iowa City. His note is one example of the strong feelings some Iowans have toward class-action lawsuits.

Des Moines attorney Roxanne Conlin filed the lawsuit representing thousands of Iowans who purchased Microsoft software between 1994 and 2006. The lawsuit claims that the company engaged in illegal monopolization and anticompetitive conduct that caused customers to pay more for software than they would have if there had been competition. The plaintiffs' expert witnesses will place damages at more than $300 million.

I wish I had known about such a list to sign...I would have signed it too. I would probably have added some choice words of my own. Especially considering how much I would allegedly receive in "compensation" for the horror of choosing to buy a Microsoft product. After the lawyers take their cut...which will be huge...

The buyers of software could be compensated anywhere from $11 to nearly $57 per copy of software, depending on whether they bought spreadsheet, word processor or Windows products.

Reading through the story - curiously missing from any Iowa sources - we find more great examples of Iowa common sense. The kind of stuff about Iowa I wish we would promote more of in our tourism brochures...

"These frivolous lawsuits cost us and the economy too much money. We hope Microsoft wins," wrote Murray Ellis, of Urbandale.

Paul Bargar, 80, of Ida Grove, in a handwritten letter addressed to Conlin and dated Sept. 26, complimented Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, saying he "has done many wonderful things in the world."

"Have you done anything for anyone that would even compare in the tiniest way compared to what he has done?" Bargar wrote.

Marie Latta, of Wilton, opted out with these words: "I am opposed to using the people from the state of Iowa for your ridiculous lawsuit."

For more good news about Iowa, I suggest you read the entire article.

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Labels: microsoft