Print - More US States Join Anti-Microsoft Cabal

Four more states have joined an effort to see that oversight of Microsoft's antitrust settlement continues another five years, until 2012. Previously, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland and New York were among a group of states that believed that Microsoft's antitrust settlement has had the desired effect. But now the states have joined the so-called California Group, arguing that Microsoft's anticompetitive behavior has continued.

According to the four states, Microsoft still controls over 90 percent of the personal computer OS market, and thus must still be monitored to ensure that it acts in the best interests of consumers and in a manner consistent with healthy competition. They join the California Group, which now includes the District of Columbia as well as six other states--California, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts and Minnesota--in requesting that US District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly extend Microsoft's oversight period past its November expiration.

Microsoft was found guilty of abusing and illegally extending its desktop OS monopoly, but settled in 2002. Since then, the software giant has been closely watched by Kotelly and representatives of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the various US states that allied against it. The DOJ does not believe that the California Group has met the standard for an extension of Microsoft's antitrust oversight, however.

Microsoft will issue a response to the California Group by October 30. The two sides will then appear before Kollar-Kotelly in November to debate the matter.

"This is a farce..." such is the way of the american political system. your politicians need to justify their inflated salaries somehow. XP

WaeThornInMySide: Puhleeez. Your politicians tax anything that moves, and a few things that don't (http://tinyurl.com/yukvr4). The "Nannies of the North" know what's best for you!

"http://tinyurl.com/yukvr4" ever heard of the RIAA suing a Canadian before? that's right - they can't! stop talking to me about music tariffs losta. we don't have the RIAA or the MPAA (nya nya!), so you can just STFU about any time now. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1522669/20060127/index.jhtml?%20headlines=true "Your politicians tax anything that moves" ya, and so much of it goes into OUR military too eh? you make me laugh losta. XP

"ever heard of the RIAA suing a Canadian before? that's right - they can't!" Um... congratulations? Canada (America Jr.) is a safe haven to pirates? "so much of it goes into OUR military too" Why would Canada need a military? To the rest of the world, all it is, is a weakly protected border to the US. Canada knows we would be forced to protect it any attack. Canada is, militarily, like one of those leech things on the underbelly of a shark.

"Canada (America's babysitter) is a safe haven to pirates?" nope. the RCMP busts piracy rings on a regular basis. the last time i heard anything related to that happen in the US, a single mom was charged $222,000 for sharing 24 songs online. besides that, Canada's fair use laws are a lot less strict than the New Inquisition being brought about by the RIAA. "Canada is....like one of those leech things on the underbelly of a shark." ya, that must be why our dollar is so high now.... "Why would Canada need a military?" to clean up your mess in Afghanistan. "To the rest of the world, all it is, is a weakly protected border to the US." in retrospect, when was the last time terrorists flew airplanes into our skyscrapers? XP