Settlement Terminology Defined

To understand what the proposed December 2001 DoJ settlement means, it’s important to look at how it defines certain terms.

Consideration means any monetary payment or the provision of nonstandard licensing terms that favor a particular company; technical, marketing, and sales support; enabling programs (such as tools for developers to create Windows-compatible applications); product information; information about future plans; developer support; hardware or software certification or approval; or permission to display trademarks, icons, or logos.

Microsoft middleware product means the functionality provided by the following products, and any of their successors, in the Windows desktop operating system (OS):

• Internet Explorer
• Windows Media Player
• Windows Messenger
• Outlook Express
• Microsoft’s Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

The term also applies to any Internet browser, networked audio/video client software, e-mail client software, or instant messaging software that Microsoft bundles with its desktop OS in the future, regardless of whether it is positioned as a “successor” to these existing products.