Microsoft Seeks to Bar Media, Public from Depositions

Richard Finney writes: "Yahoo/NewsFactor is reporting that Microsoft is moving to bar the media and the public from pre-trial witness interviews. Microsoft attorneys filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to overturn a previous order that allowed the media to hear and read depositions -- sworn oral testimony from potential witnesses. Witness interviews are normally secret and allowed to be viewed only by the parties involved. But a 1913 law ruled that the public has a right to see and hear depositions in antitrust cases brought by the federal government. I'm wondering, also, who's scheduled to testify? Why should this stuff be secret?"

1913: old laws irrelevant today?

[crow]

I remember covering logic in a class once, and we covered a standard list of fallacies. For example, Ad Hominem attacks are arguments against the person, not the idea. Is there a similar term for attacks against laws or court rulings based on their age? It seems that anytime someone tries to enforce a law that's more than 50 years old, the date is emphasized to imply that the law is dusty and obsolete.

Next thing you know, you'll hear reporters saying, "the defendent claimed that he should be able to post any opinion he wanted, citing a 1782 amendment concerning free speech."

Egg on the face...

[Catiline]

Perhaps Microsoft just wants to avoid egg on their face. After all, when your CEO gets on the stand and (apparently) repeatedly perjures himself, you tend to lose a lot of customer trust. This is a fairly understandable motive to exclude the public.

OTOH, this is just a natural extention of the 'security through obscurity' concept. Tells you what the real root thought is- to wit, the silencing of dissenting opinion (rather than to maintain so-called security). When the media won't be your lapdog, just muzzle them.

Embarrased

[ScumBiker]

I suspect that MS is embarrassed by the ongoing trial, along with all of the bad press lately. Maybe they think they can get back at the media by making it so they can't get to the court info. Frnkly, M$ could drop off of the face of the earth right now, and I couldn't be happier.