From the Dark Side--Nine States and DC Objected to the M$ Antitrust Settlement

yesterday according to this CNet article. With some additional clarifications (see this CNet posting), nine states folded their tents and signed onto the settlement worked out between the Justice Department and Microsoft. The settlement has been widely criticized by legal experts and Microsoft's competitors as being inadequate to ensure against future illegal monopolistic behavior. The settlement will be posted in the Federal Register for 60 days and the DOJ will respond in 30 days before Judge Kollar-Kotelly can make a decision on it. Meanwhile, the remaining nine states and DC can pursue the case. The Judge indicated that the trial phase would start if the states did not sign on to the settlement according to this Excite News article. So the case proceeds on two separate tracks. [Dana Baggett]