[Am-info] Gates Selling 1M (Of His 661M) Microsoft Shares

[Fred A. Miller]

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Gates Selling 1M (Of His 661M) Microsoft Shares

Is Bill Gates worried about the outcome of Microsoft's antitrust=20
case? As lawyers for Microsoft and nine states were wrapping up=20
final arguments in the latest chapter of the tussle Wednesday,=20
Gates was telling the Securities and Exchange Commission he'll=20
dump 1 million Microsoft shares within three months. The block of=20
shares is valued at $49.5 million.

The states' attorneys general have argued that the software maker=20
should be forced to distribute source code for its Explorer=20
browser, make its Office apps available for competing systems,=20
fully support Sun Microsystems' Java technology, and generally=20
stop bullying its rivals. A company spokeswoman says Gates is=20
merely selling 1 million of his 661 million-plus shares as part=20
of a "routine portfolio diversification."

Washington, D.C., District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is=20
expected to rule on the case this summer. Microsoft shares fell=20
26 cents Thursday, closing at $54.10. - Paul McDougall

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Fred A. Miller
Systems Administrator
Cornell Univ. Press Services
fm@cupserv.org, www.cupserv.org
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