FITUG e.V.
Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft
FITUG e.V.Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft |
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http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/11/01/microsoft.ap/index.html
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Microsoft Corp. and the Justice Department reached a tentative agreement Wednesday to settle the historic antitrust case against the software giant, and state attorneys general were reviewing terms of the deal, people familiar with the talks told The Associated Press.
Terms of the prospective settlement were closely guarded, and people close to the negotiations cautioned that precise language was still being worked out even between Microsoft and the Justice Department.
[..]
Microsoft officials also have warned they wouldn't accept any broad prohibitions against bundling new features into Windows.
The New York Times reported on its Web site that the prospective agreement calls for a five-year consent decree between the government and Microsoft, with a possible two-year extension if the company violates its terms. The Times reported that a three-person advisory committee would oversee compliance with the agreement.
[..]
One person who had been briefed on some of the draft settlement proposals being discussed in recent days, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ideas being discussed included:
-- Letting Microsoft add new features into its flagship Windows software, but requiring the company also to offer a version that doesn't include those additions.
-- Banning restrictive contracts that would force computer makers to buy versions of Windows with new features, but allowing financial incentives such as discounts to make those versions more enticing.
-- Forcing Microsoft to reveal parts of its Windows blueprints relating to its Internet browser software, but not the blueprints to Windows.
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