States continue investigation of Office despite dropped charges

["Eric M. Bennett" <ericb@pobox.com>]

Although charges relating to Office have been dropped for now, Techweb
reports that the states are still pursuing the matter:

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A group of state attorneys general, led by New York, has issued several new
subpoenas to Microsoft (company profile) regarding its Office licensing and
business practices, and is considering a separate lawsuit, said Stephen D.
Houck, assistant attorney general and chief of the antitrust bureau in the
New York State attorney general's office.

Earlier this week, sources said new evidence about antitrust violations
regarding Office arose during discovery proceedings related to the current
federal lawsuit against Microsoft. The evidence makes the complaint against
Office stronger, sources said. Houck would not comment on the purported
evidence building against Office, which owns a more than 90 percent share
of the office-suite market worldwide.

Meanwhile, the government is getting more cooperation from industry
insiders. Former Acer product manager Ricardo Correa told CRW Tuesday that
he is cooperating with attorneys general from several states on the matter.
"I'm in touch with a lot of government agencies," said Correa, who declined
to elaborate on his role in the ongoing investigation.

Correa denied Acer's official comment that he is a "disgruntled" former
employee with an ax to grind, saying Acer officials tried to retain him
after he submitted his resignation. He said Microsoft considered him a
"troublemaker," because he sought to bundle competitive products, but the
pressure eased up somewhat since the federal investigation began.
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Read the entire article here:

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/msftdoj/TWB19980722S0008



--
Eric Bennett (http://www.pobox.com/~ericb/), Cornell Biochemistry Department

Windows 98 is not the first product Microsoft has botched, nor will it be
the last.  But it is the last straw. . . . Users who do install it do so at
their own risk, and IS departments are not offering support.
- Scot Petersen, PC Week Magazine