Instead, the case will now be returned to a federal district
judge on Friday who will be asked to find remedies for the software
giant’s abuse of its monopoly position. The appeals court had
previously upheld the finding of Microsoft’s guilt, but rejected
the original district judge’s ruling to break the company in
two.
Microsoft plans to launch Windows XP, its new version of the
Windows operating system, on 25th October. Observers believe it had
hoped to postpone the question of remedy until after XP’s launch,
to avoid the risk of a finding that XP should be blocked to avoid
further abuse of the Microsoft's monopoly position.
The Supreme Court must still decide whether to accept
Microsoft’s request for an appeal. Its ruling is expected in
October.
