U.S. and Microsoft say settlement is fair
Reuters | at | by Mike
Lawyers for Microsoft Corp. and the U.S. Justice Department told a federal judge on Wednesday their proposed antitrust settlement was better than what could be achieved by further litigation and urged its quick approval. Microsoft and the federal government, former adversaries in the nearly four-year-old case, sought to persuade Kollar-Kotelly that their settlement is the best deal for consumers and companies trying to compete with Microsoft.
The settlement terms "go beyond those that we would likely have obtained had we litigated," Justice Department attorney Philip Beck said. He urged Kollar-Kotelly to quickly approve the settlement. Waiting until the end of the separate hearings on the non-settling states' demands would be a prescription for "potentially inordinate delays," Beck said.