DOJ Turns Heat On Microsoft -- Again techweb.com
Techweb was a little late chiming in here. I'm still waiting on the good gray Times, too, they just had the AP story.
U.S. Justice Department officials shot a blistering counter salvo at Microsoft late Thursday, introducing documents in federal court that purport to show Microsoft violated terms of the 1995 consent decree.
"We think there is a clear paper trail," supporting this, government officials said.
Well, a virtual paper trail. The heat is on.
"The United States was not on notice of the alleged 'integration' of Internet Explorer, but that, in fact, Internet Explorer was not designed or 'developed' to be an integrated product with Windows 95," the new court documents read. "Instead, it was independently created out of a separate existing products, Mosaic, which Microsoft only licensed in January 1995. Internet Explorer was designed and intended to be released as a separate application product, after the release of Windows 95, to work along with or in conjunction with Windows 95. Consistent with this plan, Microsoft did not distribute Internet Explorer with the version of Windows 95 initially for retail purchase."
The antitrust lawyers' filing continues: "Indeed, nearly two years later -- and four months after IE 3.0 was released to the market and some three months after Windows 95 version OSR 2 was release -- Jim Allchin, a top Microsoft executive, made clear both that IE 3.0 is a separate product and that Microsoft intended to 'leverage' its Windows 95 market power in order to help Internet Explorer 3.0 'win' the browser war."
Here, it sounds like IE4 isn't an issue at this point. Maybe the issue is OEM contracts rolling over and the defense of the sacred IE icon. Who can say?
And, to repeat an old favorite:
"A lengthy delay could certainly slow down the relief we are suggesting, and in some way, it could frustrate it," government officials said.
Microsoft denies it is seeking a long court battle. "Actually, we urged the court to dismiss the petition summarily," a Microsoft spokesperson said.
Maybe Microsoft does have a sense of humor, it actually sounds funny when put this way. In an ascerbic sort of way, but acid humor is humor nevertheless. Of course, earlier it was said that "Microsoft officials were not amused.", so who can say? I'm amused, anyway.
Cheers, Dan. |
