Microsoft Corp. officials in Europe had no immediate comment this morning on a published report that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) probe of Microsoft's business practices may result in a new antitrust case being brought against the company by the end of April.
Citing sources close to the investigation, the Wall Street Journal reported today that if the new case goes forward, it would allege "illegal maintenance and extension" of the software giant's control of PC operating systems in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. It would also include the charge that Microsoft's bundling of its Internet Explorer browser with its Windows operating system (OS) violates a 1995 antitrust settlement, the report said.
A representative from Microsoft's legal department in Paris said he was not aware of a new case from the DOJ and he would be surprised to learn that the DOJ was taking final depositions from senior Microsoft officials for the inquiry, something that the news article reported.
Government investigators are hurrying to complete their work before Microsoft releases the next version of its OS, Windows 98, to PC manufacturers in mid-May, the Journal reported. DOJ antitrust chief Joel Klein has not yet approved the filing of a new case, the Journal's sources said.
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Has links to related documents and articles. Network World Fusion, 1/19/98.
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