[Am-info] STATES SEEK MICROSOFT WINDOWS SOURCE CODE

[Mitch Stone]

This seem to be an entirely faulty premise. First off, the states are not 
demanding that Microsoft's source code be made public -- simply that they 
cough up the evidence in court to prove their claims that the browser and 
the OS are now inseparable. Without an examination of the source code 
itself, who can make an informed judgment?

Second, even IF the source code was published (which seems like an awfully 
good idea), this would not be a threat to Microsoft's copyrights. It will 
still be illegal to violate their copyrights through duplication.

Microsoft is caught in a real logical dilemma here. How can they claim 
that Windows is one, big trade secret, but at the same time insist that 
Windows is also an equal-opportunity operating system -- when only they 
really know how it works?

On Thursday, February 14, 2002, at 01:40 PM, Erick Andrews wrote:

"This is the equivalent of demanding of Coke that they turn
over the formula," said Andrew Gavil, a professor of antitrust
law at Howard University. "This is exactly what Microsoft
wanted to avoid."

   Mitch Stone
   mitch@accidentalexpert.com