DOJ, Microsoft Move To Modify 2002 Final Judgment
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and the Department of Justice asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to extend to 2009 from 2007 certain provisions in an antitrust final judgment.
The federal government said the extension is meant to ensure companies interested in licensing a communications protocol receive complete and accurate documentation.
The Redmond, Washington, software company agreed in May to the extension due to its difficulty in improving the technical documentation it provides to licensees.
In addition to a two-year extension of the communications protocol licensing program, Microsoft also agreed to let the Justice Department and state agencies ask for an additional three-year extension of the provisions.
The 2002 final judgment requires Microsoft make available to competitors some of its technology to make its server operating systems compatible with client personal computers running the Windows operating system.
If the court doesn’t extend the provision beyond 2009, Microsoft agreed to continue through 2012 making available the technology covered by the final judgment, with a minimum five-year term.
