By Sarah Left, 13 August 1998 18:08
NEWS Microsoft has appealed over a ruling that would force Bill Gates to give his pre-trial deposition in full view of the press. On Tuesday, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that all witnesses in the US Department of Justice versus Microsoft case would give their depositions publicly. Microsoft immediately objected, claiming such a move could put trade secrets in the public domain. The move will further delay Gates' deposition, originally slated for 12 August. Jackson made the ruling on the basis of a 1913 act that allows reporters to attend hearings related to antitrust cases. In preparation for the trial, a Microsoft executive issued a legal statement on Wednesday claiming Sun had agreed that Microsoft could extend Java to take advantage of Windows-specific features. The executive, Bob Muglia, was involved in negotiating the original Java contract with Sun. The case is still scheduled to go to trial on 8 September.
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