Today is Sunday, June 7, 2020.

On this day in 2000, the U.S. Justice Department slapped Microsoft with a severe penalty following charges of breaking the law.

The company stood accused of engaging in monopolistic practices and the proposed punishment for breaking this antitrust law wasn't

prison or a fine but splitting the company in half. Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Today we're covering the Justice Department's attempt to

break up the Microsoft Corporation. The ruling would go on to become one of the

most significant decisions ever delivered in an antitrust case.

Let's go back to the morning of his computer, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson reread his ruling one more time. It was harsh. It would be met with outrage,

but as far as Jackson was concerned, the decree was a long time coming.

He'd given Microsoft founder Bill Gates, chance after chance, to cease and desist his monopolistic

practices.

And at every turn, it seemed to Jackson that Gates had been untrustworthy and

unwilling to obey the law. Ultimately, Judge Jackson had no other choice. He would see to it that in accordance with his ruling

Microsoft was broken up into two separate entities, one to control its

Windows operating system and another to run its Windows operating system,

and another to run its Internet Explorer web browser.

If Bill Gates wanted to appeal the order,

he would have to take it up with the Supreme Court.

At least, that was Jackson's aim. Confident in his decision, Jackson

pressed Send. On its way to becoming front page news, his judgment flew through the waves of the Internet,

and it was fitting that the Internet should help deliver the missive that would potentially topple Bill Gates

Empire. After all, it was in seeking to control this untamable entity that Gates had

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