Important to note that ACT has always been a fairly transparent microsoft front:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Association_for_Competitive_Technology

The FSF doesn't want to "destroy microsoft", it just wants microsoft to stop trying to deny others the market freedom microsoft themselves enjoyed and benefitted from. Remember, microsoft arose and became a highly successful company long before widespread software patenting. It was a few years after Gates shifted their strategy to grabbing patent micromonopolies (~1991-92) that microsoft crossed over into being a real market megamonopoly (~1995ish). It is unsurprising that if you hand people a bunch of specific monopolies on a plate, they build a larger generic monopoly.

How exactly does Microsoft deny free markets to others? Thats something I see the government doing, but not a private entity.

Noel, various courts have documented in excruciating detail how Microsoft denies free markets to others. Yes, I can guess what you think of those lawsuits - but ignoring them is a bit dishonest.

John, I"m aware of the Microsoft antitrust cases. With the US cases decided, do you feel that Microsoft still denies the free market to other innovators (lets just keep this about the US for now). If so, what do you propose, another antitrust suit, should Microsoft's competitors go knocking on the door of the DOJ? Perhaps you think the responsibility for calling out anticompetitive action and punishing monopolists has shifted to consumer groups.

I'm just trying to gather your thinking.

Noel, Microsoft in particular has a lot of influence on USA government policy. But anyone who supports patent monopolies is trying to deny free markets to others. As microsoft and their front organisations and ibm have actually worked to create the legal regime of software patenting in the USA, they crossed over from trying to doing.

The US government's feeble antritrust judgement was silly and wrong (yes, I was on microsoft's side on that one - kindof) - Simply ceasing granting patent and copyright monopolies would allow the freed market to sorted out the microsoft problem in short order.