Microsoft and the Department of Justice reached a proposed
settlement of the case which still requires court approval.
However, nine US states, which were on the side of the Department
of Justice in the original action, have refused to support the
settlement terms because they consider them too lenient on the
software giant. They called for stiffer penalties – and Microsoft
had hoped for an additional four months to answer their
demands.
In the separate European antitrust action against Microsoft, two
unnamed parties among those which filed complaints with the
Commission about Microsoft's behaviour have requested extra time to
submit written comments on the case, according to a report by the
Wall Street Journal. However, none of the parties to the European
action has asked for a hearing. In the absence of a hearing, the
expectation is that the case could reach a conclusion in the first
half of this year. The deadline for requesting a hearing has now
passed.
