Media giant RealNetworks filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft last week, accusing the software giant of stealing its customers, limiting the market for digital-media software, and forcing Windows Media Player (WMP) on users. RealNetworks is apparently upset that Microsoft's digital-media software is both cheaper (it's free) and easier to get than its own wares (because Microsoft bundles WMP in Windows). But a bigger concern that RealNetworks might want to address outside the court is the quality of its oft-maligned software, which is notable for its unfriendly installation programs and nasty habit of trashing file-association settings. We're all for punishing Microsoft when it's done wrong, but in this case, RealNetworks better get real: Its lawsuit is out of line.
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