Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jan Crawley who wrote (43695)	3/4/1999 9:12:00 AM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

Group suggests Microsoft restructure if loses-WSJ NEW YORK, March 4 (Reuters)- The Software and Information Industries Association said Microsoft Corp.<MSFT.O> should restructure if it loses its antitrust trial, the Wall Street Journal reported in its March 4 issue, citing a confidential report from the trade group. The group represents 1,300 software and computer makers and publishers. The report was adopted by the group's board two weeks ago over Microsoft's strong opposition. It called for the court to contemplate a broad restructuring to prevent the need for continuing oversight by the Justice Department or the courts, "to effectively cure -- once and for all -- the competitive crisis plaguing the software industry," the newspaper reported. The antitrust case against Microsoft is in a six-week recess and will resume in mid-April with rebuttal witnesses. Microsoft fought to keep the report from being adopted. It was able to remove a key paragraph that called explicitly for a restructuring of Microsoft or compulsory licensing of the Windows operating system to rivals, the paper reported. The report put forth two forms of divestiture: "horizontal separation" into operating system, application and electronic-commerce companies or a reorganization into multiple, competing, vertically integrated firms. It also suggested that a final remedy be created by the court so that it would not upset the equity markets or hurt Microsoft shareholders or employees.

To: Jan Crawley who wrote (43695)	3/4/1999 9:20:00 AM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

Microsoft sues 10 firms over illegal software SEATTLE, March 3 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. <MSFT.O> has filed lawsuits against 10 Southern California companies accusing them of distributing illegal copies of its Windows and Office software, company officials said Wednesday. Among the targets was a Los Angeles company called Softman Products Co. that allegedly offered counterfeit copies of Windows NT and other Microsoft products over the Internet, a growing problem area for software piracy. The lawsuits come after law enforcement officials shut down a major counterfeiting operation in Southern California last month and seized some $30 million of pirated Microsoft software. The companies named in the lawsuits "could be some of the lower tentacles on that chain," a Microsoft spokeswoman said. "We can't prove that yet." While Microsoft itself has expanded efforts to sell legitimate copies of its software over the Internet, officials say the network also makes distribution of illegal versions easier to do and harder to detect. Last week Microsoft said it had discovered that a substantial portion of Microsoft software sold over the popular eBay Internet auction site was illegal. Pirated software may be substantially identical to products sold by Microsoft and through legitimate resellers but often lacks documentation and identifying features including a certificate of authenticity. Unscrupulous dealers sell the illegal software directly to end-users at cut-rate prices or load it onto new personal computers.