Microsoft Corp. will distribute vouchers valued at up to $223.9 million to Wisconsin consumers to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of overcharging its customers.
Under terms of a proposed settlement, the vouchers will be distributed to consumers and businesses who bought Microsoft software from Dec. 7, 1993, through April 30, 2003, for use in Wisconsin.
There've been similar settlements in other states, most notably a $1.1 billion settlement in California a few years ago.
Notices informing class members about their legal rights will be mailed and e-mailed, and are scheduled to appear in newspapers and magazines in Wisconsin, leading up to a hearing on March 30, 2007, when the Milwaukee County Circuit Court will consider whether to approve the settlement. The deadline to file claims is June 30, 2007, or 30 days after the court grants final approval to the settlement.
The notices are the result of a proposed settlement in class action lawsuits about whether Microsoft violated Wisconsin's antitrust and unfair competition laws by overcharging customers for some of its operating systems, word processing and spreadsheet software.
The vouchers can be redeemed to buy computers, peripheral computer hardware or computer software made by any manufacturer.
