The Genius of Microsoft's Legal Strategy
WinInfo | at | by Mike
I'm not sure if you caught this little blurb, but when Microsoft dropped several people from its pool of potential witnesses this week, the company was executing a deft legal maneuver that left lawyers for the non-settling states with that dazed, deer-in-the-headlamps look. Here's why: Some of the witnesses that were dropped were executives from PC makers, and the states were waiting for their cross-examination to bring up problems that PC makers have with new Windows licensing restrictions required by Microsoft's proposed settlement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Dropping the witnesses, however, prevents those people from ever being cross-examined, so those issues--in the form of email messages from Dell and others--cannot be entered into evidence. Good stuff, and kudos to the Microsoft legal team for pulling a fast one.