>Yes, they reached a "settlement," but not in the usual legal sense. Usually it means you pay a fine and they let you go. In this case Microsoft paid no fine. They agreed to let competitors view their source code for five years. Exonerated was the wrong word but so was settlement.
And how do you think that "settlement" was "reached"?
http://www.zdnet.com/news/microsofts-lobbying-efforts-eclipse-enron/120716
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