Washington, Nov 2: A federal judge has approved most of the provisions of an antitrust settlement between Microsoft Corp and the US Justice Department, denying the wishes of nine states pushing for harsher penalties but strongly warning Microsoft that it must faithfully comply with the deal. "The court is satisfied that the parties have reached settlement which comports with the public interest," US district judge colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote. But she said that Microsoft "has a tendency to minimize the effects of its illegal conduct" and said she will be watching Microsoft executives closely.
"The court will hold Microsoft's directors, particularly those who testified before this court, responsible for implementing each provision of this remedial decree," Kollar-Kotelly wrote yesterday. "Let it not be said of Microsoft that 'a prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise,'" she continued, quoting Niccolo Machiavelli's classic "The Prince."
In advance of the decision, lawyers for both the government and Microsoft had said that the settlement would benefit consumers.



Microsoft has already started complying with the deal by distributing technical data and releasing an update to Windows Xp that permits the removal of Microsoft icons.



The ruling was almost a complete loss for the nine non-settling states, led by California, Iowa and Connecticut. The judge said that their trial strategy of bringing "all existing allegations of anticompetitive conduct - which have not been proven or for which liability has not been ascribed" - was the wrong way to approach the case.


Bureau Report