Injunction against WinXP highly unlikely
Reuters | at | by Mike
Microsoft Corp. is facing calls for the courts to block its upcoming Windows XP operating system because of competitive concerns, but political and legal issues make such a move unlikely, analysts say.
But such an attempt to delay the launch of Windows XP is unlikely to succeed, analysts said. First, there are legal grounds that set a high bar for such a measure.
Second, there are political reasons that boil down to the fact that for every opponent trying to trip Microsoft up, there is an ally throwing its weight behind the company.
In a report issued on Monday, Brendan Barnicle, a former lawyer who is now an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, said any injunction against Windows XP would require showing that the product would inflict irreparable damage on competitors.