Microsoft Conference Invite

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

  Appraising Microsoft and Its Global Strategy
                       Conference sponsored by 
                Ralph Nader and Essential Information
                       November 13 & 14, 1997
                         Omni Shoreham Hotel
                          Washington, D.C.
  
            http://www.appraising-microsoft.org
  
  This is an invitation to a November 13 and 14 
  conference on Microsoft's Global Strategy, to be held in 
  Washington, DC at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
  
  Over the past several weeks the computer world has been 
  shaken by a series of events concerning Microsoft's role in 
  the PC software market.  The United States Department of 
  Justice (DOJ) has charged Microsoft with anticompetitive 
  actions relating to the Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE). 
  Several state attorneys generals and antitrust authorities 
  in the European Community and Japan have announced 
  investigations into a wide range of alleged anticompetitive 
  practices by Microsoft.  On October 27, 1997 more than 1,500 
  consumers, professors, businesses and computer professionals 
  asked the DOJ to stop Microsoft from using anticompetitive 
  practices to monopolize the browser market. Sun Microsystems 
  and Microsoft are suing each other over who will control the 
  future of Java, a computer language Sun has promoted as a 
  "write once run everywhere" software development platform 
  that would vastly enhance competition with the PC industry.
  
  In addition to the timely issues concerning Internet 
  browsers, the future of Java and open standards for Internet 
  publishing, there are a wide range of concerns about 
  Microsoft's expanding monopoly in key sectors of the PC 
  software industry, and what this means for the future of 
  electronic commerce and Internet communications.  These 
  concerns are deepened by Microsoft's announcements that it 
  will launch a wide range of new businesses, in fields such 
  as online banking, travel services and classified 
  advertisements -- to mention only a few.
  
  On November 13 and 14, Essential Information will host 
  a two day conference to examine "Microsoft's Global 
  Strategy."  This event will feature presentations from a 
  dazzling array of leading experts on Microsoft, Java, 
  Internet standard setting and electronic commerce.
  
  The conference is sponsored by Essential Information, a 
  non-profit organization.  There is a fee to cover conference 
  expenses.  However, no one who wants to attend should be 
  discouraged by the fee alone.  Persons may contact Donna 
  Colvin (dcolvin@essential.org, fax 202.234.5176) to request 
  full or partial scholarships.  More information about the 
  Conference is on the Web at http://www.appraising-
  microsoft.org (no period).
  
  
  
  Conference Speakers Include:
  
  Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems, http://www.sun.com/ 
  
  Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate 
  
  Samuel Goodhope, Special Assistant, Attorney General, State 
       of Texas
  
  John Perry Barlow, lyricist for the Grateful Dead, co-
       founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a 
       member of The WELL Board of Directors.  
       http://www.eff.org/~barlow/
  
  Bryan Sparks, CEO Caldera, Inc., http://www.Caldera.com/ 
  
  Andrew Schulman, Consulting Editor, O'Reilly and Associates, 
       Author of Unauthorized Windows 95, 
       http://www.sonic.net/~undoc/
  
  Christine Varney, Former Member of the Federal Trade 
       Commission, now with Hogan and Hartson
  
  Garth Saloner, Robert A. Magowan Professor of Strategic 
       Management and Economics, Stanford Graduate School of 
       Business ,
       http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~saloner/home.html
  
  Ed Black, President, Computers and Communications Industry 
       Association, http://www.ccianet.org
  
  Gary L. Reback, the well know Silicon Valley antitrust and 
       intellectual property lawyer, with Wilson, Sonsini, 
       Goodrich & Rosati, http://www.wsgr.com/
  
  Rick Ross, founder of Java Lobby, http://www.javalobby.org 
  
  Roberta Katz, General Counsel for Netscape Communications, 
       http://www.netscape.com
  
  Audrie Krause, Director, NetAction, http://www.netacton.org
  
  Steve Susman, a principle of Susman and Godfrey, 
       http://www.susmangodfrey.com 
  
  Lloyd Constantine, Constantine and Partners.
  
  Morgan Chu, Partner, Irell & Manella 
  
  Bill Randle, Vice President, Huntington Bancshares, 
       http://www.hunington.com
  
  Philip Monego, NetChannel CEO and President, 
       http://www.netchannel.net/
  
  Graham Lea, Principal Analyst, Heterodox (London), and 
       editor, Microsoft Monitor, expert in European antitrust 
       efforts in consumer software (heterodox@compuserve.com)
  
  Steve Hill, Esq., Snow Christensen and Martineau. 
  
  Bill Wendel, The Real Estate Cafe, 
       http://www.realestatecafe.com/
  
  Daniel Nachbar, Public Software Institute, 
       http://www.public-software.org
  
  John Dodge, Columnist, PC Week Online, Boston Globe
  
  Wendy Goldman Rohm, wendyrohm@compuserve.com, author of 
       several articles and an upcoming book about Microsoft.
  
  James Love, Director, Consumer Project on Technology, 
       http://www.cptech.org
  
  Note:  Bill Gates from Microsoft declined to attend.  
  Microsoft is invited to suggest other speakers to 
  present the Microsoft views.
  
  
       For more information about attending the conference, 
       contact Donna Colvin, Essential Information, at 
       202.387.8030, fax 202.234.5176, dcolvin@essential.org, 
       or see the conference web page at 
       http://www.appraising-microsoft.com for updates of the 
       program.
  
  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  
  -- 
  James Love | Center for Study of Responsive Law
  P.O. Box 19367 | Washington, DC 20036 | http://www.cptech.org
  voice 202.387.8030 | fax 202.234.5176 | love@cptech.org