Wednesday, 30 January 2008 11:53
U.S. Government extends Microsoft oversight
Written by David Stellmack
Extended for 2 additional years
A U.S. Federal Court judge has ruled that the U.S. government's antitrust oversight of Microsoft Corporation will be extended for two more years, which is two years longer than the consent decree’s original expiration date.
Ten U.S. states had asked the Judge to extend the government’s oversight of Microsoft until 2012. The states are pushing for the overview to continue, claiming that without it Microsoft will resort to its previous monopolistic actions for pricing and product diversity and availability. The Judge extended the decree for an additional two years after Microsoft delayed in filing technical documents to software licenses as required.
The original consent decree entered in 2002 was the result of the U.S. government’s antitrust case against Microsoft. The decree covers Microsoft’s ties to computer manufacturers, how its software works with other software, and enforcement via government oversight to ensure that Microsoft does not repeat past monopolistic actions.
The Judge indicated that the decree will be re-examined in 2009 and may be extended again if there are indications that Microsoft is not in compliance.
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