Washington, Nov 05: Microsoft and the State of Massachusetts argued in a federal appeals court in what could mark the last phase of the five-year-old antitrust litigation against the software giant.
Massachusetts is the last state opposing the settlement with the federal government approved by district court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly and accepted by other states involved.
Deborah Majoras, the Justice Department lawyer, said the November 2001 settlement, "provides a prompt, certain and effective relief decree properly and effectively remedies Microsoft's conduct."
But Robert Bork, arguing for two trade associations opposing the settlement, called the plan "highly inadequate."
Bork said that if the settlement had been in effect in the 1990s, it would not have stopped Microsoft's moves to crush rival Netscape Communications, which had the leading Internet browser before being pushed out of the market by Microsoft.



"The (court) decree is not only ambiguous, it gives Microsoft the capacity to determine key terms," Bork said.



The six-judge panel yesterday peppered the lawyers with questions about technical and legal matters, such as whether Microsoft be forced to remove code for its software products, such as Internet Explorer, embedded in its Windows operating system or allow computer makers to remove access to Explorer in favour of rival products.


Bureau Report