>Hasn't Oracle been pretty much the market leader in high-end databases until SQL Server 7 came along? If they have recently cut prices dramatically to compete with SQL Server, this leads me to believe they were using their market dominance to keep prices artifical high. IMO, they have been enjoying a degree of monopoly power becuase their product was precieved superior to anthing else which has allowed them to keep the price above market. Its interesting to see how things change.
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>Charlie

Market dominance != monopoly.
High product prices != monopoly

Oracle combined an excellent product with better marketing. Remember the Jet fighter vs bi-plane ads a few years ago?

You have to exhibit behaviors that violate the Sherman Anti-Trust laws to be a monopoly.
Example: I buy product A from a vendor, who then informs me that I must buy product B from another vendor, even though product B isn't required to make product A operate. (A=WinXX OS, B=PCs a direct violation.)
Example: Makers of product A meet secretly with makers of product B and agree to maintain artifically high prices for their similar products. Oil producers, movie and CD distributors, health insurance orgs, etc..