Microsoft consent decree extended

by Stephen Withers

Thursday, 31 January 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has ordered an extension of the consent decree settling the anti-trust action against Microsoft until November 12, 2009. The decree was originally set to expire on November 12, 2007, and some provisions have already been extended until November 2009. The action was brought by multiple US states, including California, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland and Florida, and they have been seeking an extension to November 2012. Among the issues was a claim that Microsoft was acting anticompetitively by failing to release technical documentation relating to communication protocols used between Windows software and Microsoft server operating systems. That documentation has still not been released to licensees "in a certifiably complete, accurate, and useable form" five years after judgement. Although negotiations between Microsoft and the states over the preparation of the documentation meant the court was never asked to rule that the software company had failed to comply with the decree, Kollar-Kotelly noted that "Although the technical documentation project is complex and novel, it is clear, at least to the Court, that Microsoft is culpable for this inexcusable delay." The court found that the states have not begun to receive the benefit of the decree, and therefore rejected Microsoft's position that the original five-year term should stand. The two-year extension was chosen because the documentation is expected to be completed by November 2009. Kollar-Kotelly's decision leaves room for the states to apply for a further extension to November 2012. CONTINUES << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

< Next story in category		Previous story in the category >

Visitors last 30 days Suscribers

904,266 13,751