Microsoft Antitrust Settling Hearings Begin
WinInfo | at | by Mike
Almost four years after the US government and 19 states brought sweeping antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft, the company's biggest legal mess could all wrap up soon, after a few days of hearings in a federal courthouse in Washington DC. The hearings begin Wednesday morning, at which time Microsoft, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), and 9 states will attempt to encourage Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to fully accept the proposed settlement agreement that the parties reached last November. But several problems could prevent Microsoft from having a happy ending, including the fact that the judge may rule that the agreement is not in the public interest and simply throw out the settlement. Furthermore, the company faces a separate set of hearings next week, in which nine non-settling states and the District of Columbia will seek more stringent remedies against Microsoft. This "separate track," as the judge calls it, is expected to last several weeks.