Microsoft Appeals Antitrust Ruling to Supreme Court

The US Justice Department has asked a federal judge to send Microsoft's appeal of the antitrust ruling directly to the Supreme Court, citing the importance of a prompt resolution for consumers and the national economy. Microsoft has opposed this request, arguing that its appeal should be heard by an intermediate appeals court. The software giant has claimed that the case must be broken into two separate cases, one for the antitrust allegations brought by the Justice Department and the other for those brought by 19 states.

Key Takeaways:

• The US Justice Department has requested that a federal judge send Microsoft's appeal of the antitrust ruling directly to the Supreme Court.
• Microsoft has opposed this request, seeking to have its appeal heard by an intermediate appeals court.
• The Department argues that the appeal should be expedited to the Supreme Court to provide a prompt resolution for consumers and the national economy.
• Microsoft claims that the case must be broken into two separate cases, one for the antitrust allegations brought by the Justice Department and the other for those brought by 19 states.
• The appeals court has agreed to stay action on the state allegations until the Supreme Court decides whether to take the federal side of the case.
• Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson has ruled that Microsoft must spin off its Windows operating system into a separate company, stayed that part of the ruling until the appeals process ends, and severely restricted the way Microsoft can do business.

Statistics:

• 19: The number of states that have brought antitrust allegations against Microsoft.
• 1: The part of Judge Jackson's ruling that the appeals court has stayed, requiring Microsoft to spin off its Windows operating system into a separate company.
• 2: The separate cases that Microsoft claims the appeal should be broken into, one for the Justice Department and the other for the 19 states.

Sources:

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• (c) 2000 by United Press International. News Provided by COMTEX (http://www.comtexnews.com)