Microsoft Consumer Class Action Settlement
In February 1999, Townsend and Townsend and Crew brought a class action lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation on
behalf of all California's individual and business consumers, claiming that Microsoft had overcharged consumers
for its Windows operating system software and its Word and Excel application software in violation of California's
antitrust and unfair competition laws. In January 2003, Townsend negotiated a $1.1 billion settlement with
Microsoft. The $1.1 billion in benefits is now available to all California individual and business consumers
who qualify as members of the class. If you would like to make a claim for your share of the $1.1 billion in
settlement benefits, please click on the "Consumer Class Action Settlement" link to the right.
Government Entities v. Microsoft Class Action
In August 2004, Townsend and Townsend and Crew filed a class action complaint against Microsoft in San Francisco
Superior Court on behalf of all California "government entities," a class of consumers that had been excluded from
the private consumer class action that settled in January 2003 for $1.1 billion in benefits to consumers. The
complaint on behalf of all California government entities alleges essentially the same violations as were alleged
in the private consumer action - i.e., that Microsoft monopolized the worldwide personal computer markets for
operating system software and word processing and spreadsheet application software in violation of California's
antitrust and unfair competition laws. We seek to recover overcharge damages sustained by all entities of the
State of California as a result of Microsoft's illegal monopolization of those computer software markets. This
case is entitled "City and County of San Francisco, et al. v. Microsoft Corporation" and has since been removed
to the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. If you are interested in this case, you will
find copies of relevant legal documents, court orders and status reports by clicking the link entitled "Government
Entities v. Microsoft" to the right.
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