The justice department just kind of let them walk. They definitely abused their monopoly (see <a href="{app}view_article.php?id=75">this thread</a>). It seems the prosecution <a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=moglen20010909">lost their witnesses</a>. All of the companies pushing the U.S. Government to release Microsoft's yoke suddenly have much more important things to worry about...like bankruptcy.