Forbes.com opinion writer Daniel Lyons sure doesn’t think much of the settlement between the Iowa Plaintiffs and Microsoft in an article in which he links to Rush on Business.  His quote:

"I’m sorry, but I can’t work up any outrage over having to pay $100 for the student edition of Office.  And though I’m not a fan of Windows, I’ve managed to discover an alternative.  It’s called an Apple Macintosh.  You can buy them online or in stores."

It seems as though most business people tend to hold this view but I am confident the settlement reached will be substantial – albeit less than the $330 million plaintiffs were requesting.  So, who won you ask?  Perhaps Iowa schools, as Microsoft will donate half of any unclaimed settlements to the Iowa Department of Education for use by public schools.  In the Minnesota case, more than $100 million was unclaimed out of a $175 million settlement and the schools received more than $50 million.

Did Iowa consumers get a victory?  I’ll leave that up to you but most people I know aren’t getting warm fuzzies over this one.      

Update:  A somewhatmore flattering post about Roxanne appeared in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog yesterday.  She was the Lawyer of the Day.