Here’s a story that slipped thru the Media net:
REDMOND: Gates to be questioned in Microsoft antitrust case
Bloomberg NewsMicrosoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates must submit to questioning under oath by lawyers for Burst.com Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. as they prepare antitrust claims against the Redmond-based software maker, a U.S. judge said Friday.
U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz in Baltimore ordered Gates to undergo the pretrial questioning for three hours. Burst.com has sued Microsoft, accusing the company of breaking antitrust laws to prevent competition for software used to broadcast sound and audio programs over the Internet.
Motz noted that a federal appeals court has limited use in private suits against Microsoft of evidence from the government’s antitrust case against the company. Given that, lawyers for Sun and Burst must have a freer hand to prepare their own evidence, he said.
Sun’s lawsuit, seeking billions of dollars in damages, charges that Microsoft harmed its business by stifling distribution of its Java programming language. Burst accuses Microsoft of stealing its patented technology for sending video and audio broadcasts on the Internet and using its monopoly to stifle competition for those products.
This story will have legs — look for major media to pick it up later this week . . .
(disclosure: I am an interested party)
Sources:
The News Tribune
(Tacoma, WA)
Bloomberg News , 12:01AM, February 7th, 2004
http://www.tribnet.com/business/story/4715233p-4665211c.html
Gates to be questioned in antitrust lawsuit
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/7899066.htm
