posted 02-28-2001 06:06 PM         

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Microsoft, for the first time, may be in a position to completely overturn the government's antitrust victory, say legal experts. That conclusion comes after two days of oral arguments, where questions from seven appeals judges left open the possibility that Microsoft could win the whole case. Until the hearing, many legal experts had handicapped in favor of the government, but concluded Microsoft would punch some holes in the government's victory. Now even that is uncertain. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2690886,00.html

A few months back, after Microsoft issued its first earnings warning in ten years, this columnist told investors that there didn't appear to be any positive near-term catalysts for the stock. He says he was wrong, and the catalyst he didn't foresee has a name: the U.S. Court of Appeals. Now he contends that Microsoft investors are being blinded by flashy court proceedings and ignoring the gravity-stricken PC market environment. (source: Red Herring) http://www.redherring.com/index.asp?layout=story&channel=20000002&doc_id=460018046

posted 02-26-2001 06:19 PM         

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Microsoft is facing federal charges of false and deceptive advertising for the second time in less than a year, casting new light on its business tactics just as it opens its appeal of the government’s antitrust case. The case is focused on Microsoft’s aggressive advertising campaign targeting Palm, whose products compete against those hand-held devices using Microsoft’s Windows software. (source: MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.com/news/536009.asp

Federal judges in Washington began grilling lawyers for Microsoft and the U.S. Justice Department as the two sides faced off in the next stage of the software company's historic antitrust case. At least two out of the seven judges hearing the case sent clear signals that Microsoft faces an uphill battle in its fight to overturn a ruling that the company broke U.S. antitrust laws and should be split in two. (source: CNNfn) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/02/26/technology/microsoft/

posted 02-15-2001 06:10 PM         

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According to this report, Microsoft is readying to take on AOL in the instant messaging arena, and take the tool one step further. If Microsoft succeeds, instant messaging would expand beyond being a vehicle for simple chitchat to becoming the infrastructure for a range of Web services, including Web-based e-mail, real-time stock quotations and calendar functions. (source: Cnet) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-4825884-0.html

eCompany presents its picks for 40 tech stocks that will survive this downturn. The honorees include old reliable companies such as Cisco and Microsoft and a bunch of upstarts, such as Akamai and Juniper. (source: eCompany) http://ecompany.com/articles/mag/0,1640,9350,00.html

posted 02-14-2001 05:25 PM         

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Federal antitrust enforcers opened a new front in their scrutiny of Microsoft, investigating the software giant’s alliance with Corel and another recent strategic investment. The Justice Department is looking into whether Microsoft’s stake in Corel could reduce competition in the market for office software packages, where Microsoft already has a dominant market presence. (source: MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.com/news/530760.asp

In Brief:
- Microsoft named Rick Belluzzo, a longtime computer and software industry executive who joined the nation's biggest software company about 17 months ago, as president and chief operating officer on Wednesday. Belluzzo, 47, replaces the retiring Bob Herbold, 58.

posted 01-29-2001 06:49 PM         

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Microsoft struck at the heart of the government's antitrust claim Monday in a brief filed with an appellate court, claiming the Justice Department could not substantiate claims that Windows and Internet Explorer are separate products (and therefore that the company did not illegally 'bundle' those products). (source: CNET News) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-4635719.html

He may be best known for founding the world's most successful software manufacturer, but Microsoft CEO Bill Gates likes to spend time mulling over what's to come. In this rare e-mail interview, WSJ.com asked Gates to share his vision of the future. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2679380,00.html

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