Judge wants changes in proposals
Yahoo | at | by Mike
The federal judge hearing the Microsoft antitrust case wants lawyers for Microsoft Corp. and nine states to focus on modifying competing penalty proposals rather than argue about their differences. "Prioritize the various provisions in your own remedy proposal, indicating which provisions are integral to the proposal's effectiveness and which are less significant," U.S. District Judge Kollar-Kotelly told both sides in an order Tuesday. The judge cautioned that the order should not be construed as an indicator of how she will rule. She also wants Microsoft to consider how the company could close loopholes in the federal settlement, a central criticism of the deal. Any changes Microsoft makes would have to be agreed to by the Justice Department. The settlement has yet to be approved.