Microsoft extends antitrust settlement two years for rivals
SeattlePI | at | by Mike
Microsoft promised a U.S. judge yesterday that it will offer competitors licenses for some of its technology until at least two years beyond the expiration of the landmark antitrust settlement it negotiated with the Bush administration.
Microsoft's surprise concession, announced during a court hearing, responds to concerns expressed in recent months by Justice Department lawyers and U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly that a key provision of the settlement is falling short of the government's hopes that it would energize rivals of the software company.