Judge expected to take cautious approach
Yahoo | at | by Mike
Testimony in the Microsoft antitrust case ended last week after the company scored some key tactical victories but also raised questions about the credibility of its opposition to a central proposed sanction, legal experts say. Still, analysts say a conservative federal judge will likely take a cautious approach as she weighs a proposed settlement against nine states' push for tougher penalties. Microsoft lawyer Dan Webb told reporters, ''Microsoft has clearly shown that consumers, Microsoft and the entire (PC) ecosystem would suffer'' under their curbs.
Microsoft got a big lift when the government's economic witness, Carl Shapiro, declined to support or oppose the mandate for a modular Windows, saying software design is a ''thorny'' area for the government to regulate. Microsoft, outmaneuvered the states in some procedural matters. The states, for instance, failed to submit evidence that Microsoft could bully PC makers under the settlement because the giant dropped from its witness list executives who deal with makers.