By Will Sturgeon, 15 August 2001 08:10
NEWS Microsoft's hopes of a delay to its anti-trust hearing have been dashed by a recommendation from the US government that the Federal appeal court reject its request for more time. Microsoft is due to hear its fate on Friday, after the appeal court found the Seattle giant to be abusing its monopoly. The company had asked for a delay while it waits on the Supreme Court to decide whether it will review the findings of the appeal court. However, the government has stepped in now to say that a Supreme Court review is unlikely, and a reversal of the decision even unlikelier, and as such the process should now advance as quickly as possible to avoid further disruption in the computer market. In June the appeal court overruled Judge Jackson's ruling that Microsoft should be broken up, and removed the judge from the case as a result of comments he made to the press. But, for all the stays and reprieves, Microsoft knew it would still face punishment and the courts, having maintained that Microsoft is in breach of anti-trust laws, are now being urged to hand down that punishment sooner rather than later. Microsoft has claimed that a delay to the hearing will make no difference to the computer industry and believes all decisions resulting from the trial over which Judge Jackson presided should be thrown out as a result of his misconduct.
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