 |
U.S. Government, Microsoft Present Settlement in Antitrust Case to Judge
The U.S. Justice Department and Microsoft Corp. on Friday asked a federal judge to approve a settlement agreement that could bring an end to the long-running antitrust case against the software giant.
The deal would require Microsoft to give independent monitors full access to its books and plans for five years to ensure compliance and to provide information to help rivals make products compatible with its dominant Windows operating software.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly agreed to review the settlement and gave states involved in the case until Tuesday to decide if they would accept the plan.
Attorney General John Ashcroft and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates hailed the settlement, saying it would help the sagging economy.
"This settlement is the right result for consumers and businesses, the right result for government and the right result for the economy," said Ashcroft, adding that the new restrictions would help independent software makers to be competitive with
Microsoft.
Gates said, "The settlement goes further than we might have wanted," but it "is the right thing to do."
"The settlement will help strengthen our economy during this difficult time and ensure that our industry can continue delivering innovations to the marketplace," he said.
Phil Beck, a private lawyer representing the Justice Department, said the government was confident that "the court will rule the settlement is in the public interest."
The settlement marked a sudden shift in the case that began under the Clinton administration, which sought to break Microsoft into two for its antitrust violations.
A judge originally agreed to do that, but the breakup was reversed by a federal appeals court this summer. The Bush administration took the breakup off the table before starting negotiations this fall.
In This Section
|