I can't help but notice how the writer of this press release failed to mention that SBC has the majority interest in Prodigy. No wonder they want to weigh in. The ISP is a big time loser and joins the ranks of other competitors who can't build better products and services. This is getting more outrageous every day!
John
SBC, Nokia to testify in Microsoft antitrust case
By Peter Kaplan
WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Executives from SBC Communications Inc. <SBC.N> and Nokia Corp. <NOK.N> will testify on behalf of the nine states that have refused to settle the antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. <MSFT.O>, according to a preliminary witness list obtained by Reuters on Friday.
The appearance of the two telecommunications executives, at a hearing scheduled for March, would mark the first time either of the companies have weighed in on the politically charged case and signals growing concerns in other industries about Microsoft's ever-expanding offerings.
Larry Pearson, a product design manager for SBC Operations Inc. and Nokia vice president William Plummer are among 14 witnesses the hold-out states will call before the court to give their opinions on what sanctions should be imposed on Microsoft, which is the world's largest software company.
San Antonio, Texas-based SBC is the No. 2 U.S. local telephone company and Nokia, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is the world's largest maker of mobile phones.
A spokesman for Microsoft declined to comment on the witnesses.
The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, is trying to determine whether to endorse a settlement Microsoft reached last month with the U.S. Justice Department and nine other states in the case.
The nine states that have refused to sign on to the settlement are pressing a more stringent, alternative remedy. The witness list also includes representatives of media giant America Online Inc. <AOL.N>, network computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. <SUNW.O>, database software leader Oracle Corp. <ORCL.O> and other companies that have been longtime critics of Microsoft.
EXPECTED TO ADD WEIGHT
Ed Black, head of the Computer & Communications Industry Association and a vocal critic of Microsoft, said the new witnesses will add weight to the hold-out states' arguments.
"Their presence as witnesses brings great credibility to the case and to the remedies proposed by the state AGs (attorneys general)," Black said. He said the diversity of witnesses shows that Microsoft's monopoly threatens "an ever-wider circle of American industry."
"There's an ever-growing number of companies who are increasing their involvement (in the case) because they realize how much is at stake in trying to ensure a competitive marketplace," Black said.
The hold-out states are asking Judge Kollar-Kotelly to close loopholes in the settlement deal and to do more to ensure Microsoft discloses key Windows code to other software makers.
Under the proposal offered by the hold-out states, the Redmond, Washington-based company would have to sell a stripped-down version of Windows that would come without Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, as well as its e-mail and media player software.
Beyond that, the hold-out states want the judge to ensure Microsoft Office, the popular business software, will be compatible with other software platforms. And their proposal would give competitors access to the inner workings of Internet Explorer and allow them to sell their own customized version of the Web browser.
Microsoft has criticized the alternative remedy offered by the hold-out states as "radical and punitive" measures that "seem calculated to inflict maximum commercial harm on Microsoft."
In the settlement reached with the Justice Department and nine states, the software giant agreed to take steps to give computer makers more freedom to feature rival software on their machines. The deal also requires the company to share parts of the inner workings of Windows with other software makers. |
