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The class action suit against Microsoft has been resolved with a settlement that both sides claim will benefit everyone involved.

Iowa businesses that accused Microsoft of anti-competitive and monopolistic practices have accepted a settlement. This is pending preliminary court approval, which is expected on April 20th.

"We are confident that the settlement is in the best interests of all members of the class and we are deeply grateful for the quality and fairness of the judicial process in Iowa," said Roxanne Conlin, lead counsel for the class.

"The settlement will provide tremendous benefits for many people throughout the state of Iowa. We are pleased with the results of this litigation and we are pleased that the process worked so well," Rick Hagstrom, class co-counsel of the firm Zelle Hofmann Voelbel Mason & Gette.

Purchases of Microsoft operating systems from MS-DOS through Windows XP, along with those for Word, Excel, or Office, will be covered by the settlement. That includes buying a computer with any of that software preinstalled.

The settlement covers purchases made between May 18, 1994 through June 30, 2006. Microsoft probably enjoyed a sigh of relief with this settlement; the case has been going on for eight years.

Under the settlement, Microsoft will provide half of any unclaimed proceeds to the Iowa Department of Education to bridge the digital and technical divide in Iowa schools through the purchase of computer hardware and software, the company said in a statement.

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