January 16, 2004 3:25 PM PST
Search may be Microsoft's next target, court told
- Related Stories
-
Microsoft to tweak XP's music link
January 15, 2004 -
Deja vu: Microsoft's antitrust defense
January 14, 2004 -
Year in review: The sound of Net music
December 31, 2003 -
Feds, states question XP's music link
October 20, 2003
Massachusetts, the only state government still
What's new:
Massachusetts, the only state still pursuing antitrust claims against Microsoft, says the company may be unlawfully wielding its desktop dominance to squeeze search engines and document formats.
Bottom line:
This warning comes as the battle for Web search dominance is heating up. Search leader Google is preparing for an IPO, while Microsoft is trying to find ways to make more money from Web searches by integrating such features more closely into its Windows operating system.
"If Microsoft is taking steps to hobble the competitive effectiveness of these rival products and thereby supplant them, such serial killing of competing technologies is a serious and troubling prospect," read the three-page filing, which offered no details.
In addition, Massachusetts charged Microsoft with demonstrating "troubling business behavior" that could run afoul of existing court orders.
This move comes as the battle for Web search dominance is heating up,
with Yahoo saying on Wednesday that it will
"Given the vague and unsubstantiated nature of the allegations, it's difficult to respond," Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said on Friday. "However, we are always willing to sit down and discuss any issues of concern. We are firmly committed to firm compliance with the consent decree and all matters in antitrust law."
In 2002, Microsoft entered a consent decree with the Bush administration, which Kollar-Kotelly accepted, to settle the antitrust case. It also established a schedule for ongoing antitrust oversight of the company's actions.
On Thursday, Microsoft
Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has objected to the 2002 peace accord in the antitrust dispute and has kept fighting.
In November, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.,
