Microsoft Corp.'s software developers can breathe a sigh of relief when their Windows 98 operating system goes out the door next week. The company's lawyers, on the other hand, will be busy preparing to fight yet another lawsuit, this time brought by AT&T Corp.
AT&T's suit, news of which came to light this week, was filed in October 1997 in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, and accuses Microsoft of breach of contract and intentional interference with a prospective business advantage, AT&T spokesman Kevin Compton said. Currently in the discovery phase, the trial is expected to go to court later this year, he said.
AT&T claims Microsoft breached a contract it signed in 1991 by not sharing with AT&T the source code for its Windows NT operating system, according to Compton. AT&T uses the source code to make Advanced Server for Unix, a software product that allows businesses to run Windows and Unix applications in a single computing environment.
A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment on the case in detail, and denied any wrongdoing. "Microsoft fully complied with the terms of its contract with AT&T," spokesman Jim Cullinan said.
Microsoft already faces a court battle with the U.S. Department of Justice, which last month lodged an antitrust complaint that accuses the company of unfairly using the monopoly power of its operating system to boost sales in other software markets. That trial is due to begin Sept. 8.
Meanwhile, Sun Microsystems Inc. is suing Microsoft in District Court in San Jose, California, for allegedly abusing the terms of its licensing contract for Sun's Java programming language. A motion hearing for that case is scheduled for Sept. 4.
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An archive of articles and links related to Microsoft's various legal battles.
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