A statement issued on the court's web site states that District
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly will release the decision at
approximately 4.30pm EST today (9.30pm GMT), after the country's
financial markets close.
The judge must decide whether the settlement is in the public
interest, how it will affect competition and how long it should
remain in force. She will also announce whether she endorses
additional sanctions against Microsoft which are sought by nine
other US states' Attorneys General and Microsoft rivals AOL Time
Warner, Palm and Sun Microsystems.
If Judge Kollar-Kotelly rejects the settlement, the US Justice
Department and Microsoft will have the right to appeal the
ruling.
The proposed settlement would stop Microsoft from participating
in exclusive deals that could harm competition. It also obliges the
company to allow software manufacturers and consumers to remove
some Microsoft features.
Finally, it requires Microsoft to release source code for the
Windows operating system, so that competitors will be able to
create compatible software.
The decision will be made available later today at:
www.dcd.uscourts.gov
