of U.S. antitrust law and specifically pertains to monopolistic practices. It is the legislation under which the government is given the right to interfere in the regulation of industry to prevent unfair competitive practices and monopoly formation. Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act specifically prohibits all contracts, combinations, and conspiracies that unreasonably restrain trade (Sherman 1890). Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act specifically prohibits monopolization or any attempts to monopolize (Sherman 1890). At the discretion of the court, conviction of a violation of either section is a felony and is punishable by fines of not more than $10,000,000 if a corporation or $350,000 if an individual, or by a prison term not more than 3 years (Sherman 1890).
Another piece of legislation pertinent to the Microsoft case is the Tunney Act, an act that specified the procedures the DOJ must follow in order to be granted a consent decree by the court. When the outcome of the Microsoft Antitrust case w
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