States Threaten to Go on Their Own
WinInfo | at | by Mike
After Microsoft's breakup reprieve last week, supporters of the software giant probably believed that the company had dodged a bullet. But at least four of the US states allied against Microsoft went public this weekend, assuring onlookers that the company will be appropriately punished for its actions. The attorneys general for New York, Connecticut, Iowa, and California assured the public that, although the US Department of Justice (DOJ) decided not to break up Microsoft, that decision doesn't mean that the company will only get a slap on the wrist. In some ways, the statements from these men did much to diffuse reports that Microsoft will be able to easily settle its antitrust case, a fairly obvious outcome after the DOJ admitted that it wouldn't seek a breakup.