Microsoft netted

Software giant Microsoft was embroiled in a series of antitrust lawsuits over the past decade. In 1998, the United States Department of Justice and 20 US states filed a series of civil action lawsuits against Microsoft Corporation. The issue central concerned Microsoft's bundling together of web browser software Internet Explorer (IE) and its Microsoft Windows operating system. As IE was embedded in every Windows purchase, the bundling move restricted the market share of rival browsers like Netscape Netvigator. The drawn-out suit was one of the biggest antitrust cases of the century. A settlement was reached between Microsoft and the US government in 2002.