Digital Revolution
"Mr. Gates tried to cultivate a beautiful garden with extreme poison and ended up poisoning himself. He shouldn't have used unpermitted extreme poison in the first place. How about becoming a real farmer this time? Since he caused this mess by dabbling in agriculture, he should start over as a genuine farmer from the beginning. Heh heh heh."
Yoo Jae-won was watching a television news segment featuring Gary Kildall from his hotel room in the United States. Ten days had already passed since the final winter break of elementary school began. The first week he had played to his heart's content with his friends, and the second week he had enjoyed Christmas parties with his family. Last year, Christmas had simply meant going to church, but this year everything felt different.
It wasn't just Yoo Jae-won's own family whose circumstances had improved dramatically. His relatives' lives had changed as well. Mushrooms and medicinal herbs had poured out of the ancestral mountain, turning into cash that enriched both the main house and the extended family. His uncle had tried to set aside shares for Yoo Jae-won and his father, but his father, already wealthy, had insisted on distributing even his own portion. In gratitude, the relatives brought gifts on Christmas Eve. Once gifts were received, returning the favor was only natural. Before long, the Yoo clan had become the only family in the village properly celebrating Christmas.
After handling all the family's affairs, Yoo Jae-won departed once more for the United States. His purpose was to put a splendid capstone on the ID Office Security Challenge. This time he had deliberately avoided a tight schedule, allowing himself a leisurely pace. He had no commitments until the thirty-first. Staying at a fine hotel in San Francisco, he lounged about, toured the city, went shopping, and enjoyed his time without hurry.
December weather in San Francisco ranged from a low of six degrees to a high of thirteen—similar to early November in Korea—so thick clothing was all he needed to move about comfortably. Yoo Jae-won was giving himself a well-earned reward for a year of hard work, deliberately staying away from computers. He had every reason to accept this self-awarded gift without shame. Looking back, the amount of source code he had personally written exceeded the length of five novels. Writing five novels would have been difficult enough, yet he had produced that much code. After all, the core features of both ID Office and Android Alpha had come directly from his hands.
The programs he created were now enjoying massive global success. Even if he shut down the business today, the money earned this year alone would let him live comfortably for the rest of his life. But Yoo Jae-won had greater ambitions. This was simply a period of recharging before another leap next year. While he rested, he also sketched out detailed blueprints. Although the grand Master Plan existed, its earlier-than-expected start had created many variables. He was now incorporating every minor variable into precise guidelines. Fortunately, all those variables were positive. Next year would bring the major event of war, and the scale of capital he could mobilize for it had grown far larger than originally projected.
Even while enjoying this leisure, he could not completely detach from work. Television news constantly delivered industry updates. The segment featuring Gary Kildall was only one small part of the coverage. The man had created CP/M, the foundation of DOS, made a fortune from it, and written the first Silicon Valley legend. He was currently allied with ID Technology in the ongoing lawsuit against Microsoft because DR-DOS was his creation.
After the flawless six-day trial, Gary Kildall had every right to appear on television and celebrate. Microsoft had tried to drag the proceedings out, but the case was already decided. Only the final sentencing hearing remained. While the official verdict was still pending, public opinion had already rendered its judgment. Microsoft, once an empire that had built an impregnable front with MS-DOS at the forefront of Silicon Valley business, was now collapsing from within and without. Its corporate image had been thrown into the trash. Already notorious as the "Empire of Evil," the company had been further condemned by James's revelations. The leaked files had spread rapidly through the internet and PC communications, reaching ordinary citizens. What had once been an industry nickname was now a label accepted by the general public.
The damage went beyond reputation. Americans hated lies above all else. Microsoft had not only eliminated competitors through its monopoly but had also lied repeatedly in court, earning the label of an untrustworthy corporation. Sales plummeted. Several small computer manufacturers announced they would adopt FreeDOS instead of Microsoft's MS-DOS. Many others declared they would switch to Android Alpha, though they were waiting for the first-instance verdict before acting.
Gary Kildall, a direct victim of Microsoft's unfair practices, had become a frequent television presence. He was already acting as though victory was certain, and his excitement bordered on excessive, making viewers slightly uneasy. Having seen many people ruined by premature celebration, Yoo Jae-won kept his guard up. He avoided media interviews and focused on preparing for the grand New Year's Eve celebration while recovering from accumulated fatigue.
"Boss! The sentencing date has been set."
Remington brought fresh news just as Yoo Jae-won was about to look away from the television. He usually handled matters independently, but court cases were an exception.
"When is it?"
"December twenty-ninth."
"Hmm. A Friday. It seems the judges didn't want to drag this case into the new year."
The day of destiny had been decided: Friday, December 29, 1989. It arrived remarkably quickly. Yoo Jae-won attended the courtroom that day. He wanted to witness with his own eyes whether Microsoft's lifeline would be severed or whether its enormous lobbying power would somehow dilute the outcome despite the decisive evidence.
Because ID Technology had originally been sued by Microsoft, it had been seated on the defendant's side. However, after joining forces with Gary Kildall to countersue, the cases had been consolidated, blurring the distinction between plaintiff and defendant. Still, the seating arrangement from the start of the trial had placed Yoo Jae-won on the defendant's side, so he sat there.
"Uncle Gary! I saw the news. Your sharp tongue was impressive."
Gary Kildall, whom Yoo Jae-won had only seen on television until now, had also come to the courtroom. He looked exactly as he had on screen—large-framed, with blond hair and a thick beard that connected to his sideburns, exuding masculine charm in his late forties.
"So you saw that interview too? I wanted to curse them to death, but I held back because it was on television. Looks like it was still effective?"
This was their first in-person meeting, yet their shared front against Microsoft made them fast friends. Gary was indeed a very hot-tempered man. Yoo Jae-won could understand. Microsoft had stolen his work, grown into a giant corporation, and then used every dirty trick imaginable to crush him. Anyone in his position would feel the same.
"It seems neither Gates nor Steve is coming."
Gary glared at the Microsoft legal team across the aisle.
"They wouldn't enjoy hearing what would be said anyway."
"True. Though they'd die at my hands first. Well, not literally die—I mean I'd insult them until they wished they were dead."
"Order! The judges are entering. Everyone please rise."
The conversation ended as the judges entered. With solemn expressions, they took their seats, and everyone else followed suit. After several minutes of tedious procedural remarks, the verdict finally began. The judges droned on with lengthy explanations that made listeners want to yawn, but Yoo Jae-won endured until the main ruling arrived.
"...However, the court finds that the evidence presented by Microsoft is neither reasonable nor logically valid. Therefore, Microsoft's demand for sixty million dollars in damages from ID Technology is dismissed. Furthermore, there is no clear evidence that Android Alpha constitutes unfair dumping, so the distribution ban is also overturned."
Yoo Jae-won and ID Technology's legal team clenched their fists. A perfect victory. Yet the judgment was not finished.
"ID Technology and Digital Research demanded one hundred million dollars in punitive damages, claiming Microsoft had deliberately avoided fair trade by abusing its monopolistic position, causing them significant harm."
This was the most critical part.
"Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system currently holds a ninety-one percent market share in the PC market, which qualifies as a monopolistic position under federal law. The presented evidence also confirms that Microsoft's executives used this monopolistic status to avoid competition. This constitutes a clear violation of federal antitrust law. Accordingly, the court orders Microsoft to pay the plaintiffs forty-four million dollars in compensatory damages and one hundred fifty million dollars in punitive damages. All litigation costs shall be borne by Microsoft. That is all."
The presiding judge struck the gavel three times. Yes! A perfect victory. The resounding strikes of the gavel were more exhilarating than any drumbeat or bass line, making Yoo Jae-won's heart pound. The compensation exceeded expectations. The forty-four million dollars consisted of four million for damages from the Android Alpha distribution ban and forty million for harm to DR-DOS caused by exclusion from fair trade. If Android Alpha had been more established, the amount would have been higher, but it was still growing. Still, he was satisfied.
The punitive damages had been increased by fifty million dollars beyond the original one-hundred-million-dollar claim. Gates's crimes had been too blatant. The court had imposed nearly four times the requested penalty as punishment. Since the crime had been committed for money, the American legal spirit of punishing with money had been properly realized.
The verdict had, of course, been guided by ID Technology's army of lawyers. Yoo Jae-won had wanted to send Microsoft's executives to prison, but the likelihood of upper-class individuals actually serving time was nonexistent. Even if a prison sentence were handed down, they would almost certainly receive probation. Therefore, the strategy had focused on financial damage. Losing vast sums of money would hurt the company's owners and shareholders far more than a few executives spending time behind bars. The intent had struck true, resulting in nearly two hundred million dollars in total compensation.
Oh, and there were also the litigation costs Microsoft had to bear. The ten million dollars in court fees plus the substantial fees for the elite team from Paul & Smith Law Firm—all of it would be paid by Microsoft. Adding everything together, Microsoft faced at least two hundred million dollars in damages, every cent of which would flow directly into ID Technology's coffers.