Stung by earlier court rulings, Microsoft Corp. has positioned one of its top lawyers to run a legal committee to influence how much oversight U.S. courts exercise in antitrust settlements like the one the company negotiated with the Bush administration. The debate over how aggressively federal judges should scrutinize these settlements is pivotal in the next major ruling in Microsoft"s long-running antitrust case, a decision that could come as early as Friday.
Microsoft"s effort in the legal community illustrates how the world"s largest software company is moving to protect its interests in venues where it has found itself challenged. It also has increasingly participated in the political process in Washington and in technology standards organizations. A U.S. appeals court is considering whether the landmark settlement Microsoft negotiated with the Justice Department in late 2001 was tough enough. The ruling could force fundamental changes to Microsoft"s profitable Windows software, the engine for hundreds of millions of personal computers worldwide.