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FAQ's
General FAQ's What is this Case About? Plaintiff alleges that Microsoft unlawfully used anticompetitive means to maintain a monopoly in markets for certain software, and that as a result, it overcharged Florida consumers who licensed its MS-DOS, Windows, Word, Excel and Office software. Microsoft denies plaintiff's allegations and believes that it developed and sold high quality and innovative software products at fair and reasonable prices. On April 15, 2003, the parties settled the case, and the Court conditionally certified a Settlement Class (defined in the notice) and approved a preliminary Settlement Agreement, signed by Microsoft Corporation and Class Counsel. The Court granted final approval on March 14, 2006.
What are the Terms of the Settlement? Plaintiffs and Microsoft reached a settlement that will make approximately $202 million available to volume business customers and consumer customers in the form of vouchers, which may be redeemed for rebates on the purchase of Qualifying Hardware or Qualifying Software.
Who is Eligible to Participate in the Settlement? Any person or entity who acquired or indirectly purchased a Microsoft Operating System and/or Microsoft Application in the United States, for use in Florida, between November 16, 1995 and December 31, 2002.
Who is Ineligible to Participate in the Settlement? Any person or entity whose licenses were purchased for re-sale or re-licensing and licenses for government entities, are not eligible for the Settlement. Also excluded are Microsoft, its officers, directors, successors, assignors and subsidiaries.
How Can I Participate in the Settlement? The claim deadline was April 17, 2006. Class Members who filed a valid claim are eligible to receive vouchers that the Settlement Administrator will redeem for rebates on purchases of Qualifying Hardware or Qualifying Software purchased after April 15, 2003.
Which Microsoft Products are Covered by the Settlement? Microsoft Operating System generally includes MS-DOS, Windows, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT Workstation and Windows 2000 Professional. Microsoft Application generally includes Word, Excel and Office versions designed for computers with MS-DOS or Windows operating systems. See Appendices A1 through A3 (Microsoft Operating System and/or Microsoft Application)
What is Considered Qualifying Hardware or Qualifying Software? Qualifying Hardware includes personal computers, laptop computers, Tablet PCs and Apple Macintosh computers. If the total amount of your voucher(s) is less than $950, you may also redeem your voucher(s) for the purchase of printers, monitors, scanners, keyboards, mice and other pointing devices. If the total amount of your voucher(s) is $950 or more, you may redeem your voucher(s) for the purchase of printers, monitors, scanners, keyboards, mice and other pointing devices only if those items come bundled with the computer. Qualifying Software includes any software title, including titles not published by Microsoft, which is available for sale to the general public in standard form and is capable of running on any Qualifying Hardware.
What is Not Considered Qualifying Hardware or Qualifying Software? Servers, server hardware, PDAs or other hand-held devices, peripherals (cables,
speakers or other external devices) or components (including storage units,
CD-ROMs, DVDs, zip drives, tape backups, memory, video or audio cards,
motherboards or CPUs) are not considered Qualifying Hardware.
What are Vouchers? Class Members who file a claim by the deadline are eligible to receive vouchers that the Settlement Administrator will redeem for rebates on purchases of Qualifying Hardware or Qualifying Software, if purchased after April 15, 2003.
What is the Value of the Vouchers? For each license that a Class Member acquired for use in Florida between November 16, 1995 and December 31, 2002, the Settlement Administrator will issue:
A Class Member may transfer $650 worth of vouchers to a third party transferee. A third party transferee may redeem up to $10,000 in vouchers for rebates, upon certifying that the transferee purchased the Qualifying Hardware or Qualifying Software for use in his or her home or business. Vouchers can be transferred once only.
How Do I Redeem Vouchers? When you receive your voucher(s), you will also receive a redemption form. To redeem a voucher submit the voucher, along with proof of purchase for Qualifying Hardware or Qualifying Software. Vouchers may be redeemed in the In Re Florida Microsoft Antitrust Litigation Settlement until June 17, 2010. Submit these items to the Settlement Administrator at the following address: Microsoft Products Settlement Redemption
What is the Deadline to File a Claim? The Claim Deadline was April 17, 2006. Claims filed after this date will not be accepted.
What if I Don't File a Claim? Microsoft will help Florida's public schools - those with at least 50% of their students qualifying for the federal free and reduced-price school lunch programs - by donating half of the unclaimed Settlement Benefits to the schools. Eligible public schools will receive vouchers to use on a wide variety of computer hardware, software and professional development services.
Who Should I Contact if I Have Questions? If you have questions about the Settlement or want to receive a copy of the Notice, a Claim Form and an Exclusion (Opt-Out) Form, ("Notice Package"), call or write to the Settlement Administrator listed on the Contact Us page.
Volume Licensing FAQ's What is Microsoft Open? Microsoft Open License is a software volume licensing program designed for corporate, charity, and academic customers who order as few as five licenses. After the initial order, customers can benefit from volume pricing for all licenses for the remainder of the term of their Open License authorization number. For more information, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/open/
What is Microsoft Select? Microsoft Select License is a software volume licensing program designed for corporate, charity, and academic customers with 250 or more desktops and mixed product and purchasing requirements. Select License 6.0 customers receive a volume price level for each pool of products selected (applications, systems, or servers) based on a three-year software forecast. For more information, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sel/
What is Microsoft Enterprise Agreement? Microsoft Enterprise Agreement is a software volume licensing program designed for corporate customers with 250 or more desktops. As an Enterprise Agreement customer, customers are able to license Microsoft software to standardize on their choice of the Microsoft enterprise products (Microsoft Office Professional, Microsoft Windows Professional upgrade, and Core Client Access License) at discounted prices based on a three-year agreement term. For more information, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/ent/ How Do I Obtain Volume Licensing Information? To obtain volume license information, to submit with your Claim Form, through Open, Select or Enterprise Agreement plans, go to https://licensing.microsoft.com. In order to use this web site, you will need to use (or create) a Microsoft.NET Passport name and password. Select the "Support" link for assistance on registering.
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