Case history, please.
So, it's commonplace but no case histories.
Microsoft - not a VC funded company. NFL - government sanctioned monopoly, also not a VC funded company
Now, as to OS/2, people say "poor IBM", but IBM was the monopolist boogeyman in the 70's and 80's. BEOS simply wasn't good enough. Apple OS's and Linux did and continue to do quite well.
The DOJ went after Microsoft for giving away Explorer for free, which is what every browser maker does now, and has for 20 years. How that's bad for consumers I have no idea. As for Netscape, I switched from Netscape to Explorer because Netscape crashed constantly. That was hardly anti-competitive behavior on Microsoft's part, it was bad engineering on Netscape's.
Yes, I know IE crashed too, but nowhere near as often as Netscape.
I also give away the Digital Mars C and C++ compilers, the D compiler, and the source code to all of it. Is that anti-competitive too? How about all the other free software I use every day? Should the DOJ go after their creators, too?
This unpaid and untaxed emotional labor has to stop!
We need rules and regulations for society to work!
This doesn't seem right. If they are price dumping then it will immediately affect the competition. No need to wait for an outcome or interpretation.
> Comparison: when a new restaurant opens, it's very common to hand out coupons in the neighborhood for discounts or free meals.
I'd say this is only acceptable because it is small scale (only few restaurants fit in a neighborhood) and the amount of money isn't endless like it (often) is with VC money. The short duration makes it possible for the competition to overcome the negative effects.
The problem with VC money is that all too often it is used to destroy competition and build monopolies.