The deadline set by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in the long
running Microsoft antitrust case expires tomorrow, Friday 2nd
November. In anticipation of this, the Washington Post has
published reports of a tentative deal reached by Microsoft and the
US Department of Justice.
The Post suggested that terms of the agreement were still being
drafted indicating that there remains a risk of any negotiations
falling through at the eleventh hour.
The reported terms of the agreement allow Microsoft to leave
Windows as it was and allow it to bundle applications with its
operating system. However, the company would have to disclose
technical information to rivals and make it easier for personal
computer makers to install rival software.
The Post also suggested that the government and Microsoft would
enter into a five year consent decree meaning that any restrictions
would expire after five years, providing Microsoft upheld its side
of the bargain, if it failed to do so then the restrictions would
be extended to last a further two years.
According to the Washington Post, Microsoft would go so far only to
say that “we’re working hard to achieve a settlement” stressing
that nothing is yet set in concrete.
