Monopoly ruling won't destroy Microsoft's image, experts say.(Brief Article)

Advertising Age, April, 2000 by Elkin, Tobi

The ruling that Microsoft Corp. violated antitrust laws will tarnish the brand in the short term but won't do serious long-term damage -- even if the company is broken up.

That's the word from brand experts who believe Microsoft's overall image can withstand a seemingly endless storm of negative publicity and probable disciplinary measures. U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled last week that the software giant used anticompetitive measures to quash innovation and maintain a monopoly position.

"Microsoft is such a strong, huge brand that it can take several torpedoes and really not be in danger of sinking," said Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor Associates. "It would take a lot to destabilize it."

Like a dismemberment of...

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