U.S. decides against further Microsoft antitrust filing
crn.com | at | by Mike
The Justice Department has decided not to participate in the continuing legal fight involving two states that refused to settle antitrust claims against Microsoft, possibly strengthening the appeals case by the holdout states. The Justice Department notified the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington on May 21 that it will not file a brief in the case. The government earlier had indicated it might actively defend the landmark settlement it reached with Microsoft and 17 other states.
The decision means Massachusetts and West Virginia, which are seeking tougher sanctions against Microsoft, won't have to directly fight the U.S. government while they're battling the software giant in the courtroom.