Final arguments begin in Microsoft case
C|Net | at | by Mike
Microsoft and nine plaintiff states return to the courtroom Wednesday for closing arguments in the software giant's antitrust remedy proceeding. The day in court will bring to a close nearly two months of testimony, spanning 33 witnesses, before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who will now decide Microsoft's fate. Nine states and the District of Columbia are pursuing stiffer sanctions than those proposed in a separate settlement with the Justice Department and nine other states. Kollar-Kotelly has yet to approve that settlement, leading some antitrust experts to wonder if she will treat the two different "tracks" in the case as one proceeding. In a Tuesday court order, Kollar-Kotelly guided both sides to seek a compromise and to "prioritize the various provisions in your remedy proposals," organizing which portions are most integral "and which are less significant."