U.S. Faults Microsoft Licensing Compliance

An anonymous reader writes "In a written report card on how well Microsoft is complying with its 2001 antitrust deal with state and federal prosecutors, Justice Department lawyers said they might need the court to force Microsoft to act more quickly." The DOJ's court filing is online if you want to wade through it.

U.S. Faults Microsoft Licensing Compliance

[luckybob83]

"Justice Department lawyers said they might need the court to force Microsoft to act more quickly."

well that is a real shocker

The DOJ's court filing ...

[3.5 stripes]

...is online if you want to wade through it

Well, I have been having problems sleeping recently.

Re:What happen..

[tinrobot]

Yeah... harsher penalties... hee hee... HA... HA... sorry... can't stop... LAUGHING!

(chuckles)

How much should we pay..

[jkrise]

From the ref article:
"One condition that caused particular outcry was Microsoft charging an upfront fee of $100,000 for rivals to examine the code to see whether they want to buy it. If they don't, they only get $50,000 back."

So what's the fee to take one single look at the pile of crap and say " Holy crap! This costs $100,000??"

Bride wants to marry IBM and screw Linux. Brother MS willing to pay any dowry.

No worries Microsoft

[Vicegrip]

They just need to put in a call to their favorite guy, Ashcroft, and get him to tell the lawyers to backoff.

Is being greedy a crime?

[mikeophile]

Michael Milken, Kenneth Lay, and Martha Stewart don't think so.

The end is NEAR!

[Noryungi]

Brothers and sisters, consider these facts :

• Microsoft will be forced to comply to a DOJ judgment!
• SCO is suing IBM and actually WITHDREW AIX LICENSE!!
• Europe is going to accept GMOs!!!
• And, in Peoria, Ill., John Smith [google.fr], 20-years-old Slashdot poster and troll extraordinaire, actually got LAID!!!!

The time has come, repent all you sinners, for the shiny saucers of the sex goddess [subgenius.com] are coming to deliver us!

This, as everybody knows, has been predicted in the Holy Scriptures of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs! Convert before it is too late, heathens! ;-)

Re: Well, what did we expect?

[Black Parrot]

> It comes as no suprise that Microsoft isn't even living up to an antitrust settlement that is this painless. From day 1, it looked as if they had no intention of following it through, and now, it seems as if the lawsuit was never filed at all.

At least they didn't laugh about the settlement this time around.

At least not in public.

Yes, they get fined twice as much

[cabalamat2]

If Microsoft continues to fail to comply, the court will double their fine.

Let's work it out: the original fine was $0, twice $0 is $0, so the new fine will be $0.

I guess American justice is the best that money can buy.

Re:You call this a capitalist society?

[DataCannibal]

For someone who espouses capitalism you seem to have read neither Adam Smith or the DOJ judgement and you have no idea about anti-trust laws and why they exist.
If I were you I'd shut up until you know what you are talking about...hang on...your posting on Slashdot..mumble...forget it

Re:Reminds Me of the English Bobby Joke

[Larsing]

Except the English police will wack you senseless with their extendable batons if you don't do what they say...

Re:The end is NEAR!

[Anonymous Coward]

Brothers and sisters, consider these facts :

• Microsoft will be forced to comply to a DOJ judgment!
• SCO is suing IBM and actually WITHDREW AIX LICENSE!!
• Europe is going to accept GMOs!!!
• And, in Peoria, Ill., John Smith, 20-years-old Slashdot poster and troll extraordinaire, actually got LAID!!!!

That's not all, consider also:

• The best golfer in the world is black...
• The most popular rapper in the world is white...
• There was a war a few months ago, and Germany didn't want to be involved.

These truly are strange days indeed...

Re: Well, what did we expect?

[56ker]

I give Microsoft a C++ (a passing grade with room for improvement). The settlement was vastly watered down by their legal team anyway....

Re:You call this a capitalist society?

[Scrameustache]

I have no idea how someone could ever use 40 million dollars in their lifetime, let alone 40 billion.

I would.

I would invest heavily in genetics, cybernetics, and behaviour sciences to create...wait for it... cyborg monkey butlers!

In other words, I would use that money to make the world a better place.
With more monkeys.

It's tempting

[abe ferlman]

It's tempting to say "You know a company is corrupt when even Ashcroft says so."

But remember what part of the election cycle we're approaching before drawing too many conclusions here. This will all blow over before you can say "Judge Jackson was biased in favor of the truth."

Re:RTFA

[Shadow99_1]

"I'm quite sure it's not a bug - it's a Microsoft feature."

Are you sure there is a difference?

Re:What happen..

[Waffle Iron]

What happens if Microsoft doesn't do what they settlement says? Will they face harsher penalties?

DOJ: Microsoft is not complying with the settlment terms. Fetch the Comfy Chair!!

Bailiff: The... Comfy Chair??!!

DOJ: So you think you are strong because you scoff at our remedies. Well, we shall see. Bailiff! Put them in the Comfy Chair! Now -- you will stay in the Comfy Chair until lunch time, with only a cup of coffee at eleven.

Re:THEY ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOU ARE DEA

[presearch]

..in pursuit of that almighty symbol $ they absolutely will not stop until your buisness is dead.

Microsoft or the Justice Department?

Re:RTFA

[Adam_Weishaupt]

Microsoft is mostly following through with its settlement with the federal government.

So I guess that means Microsoft won't mind if I MOSTLY comply with thier EULA for Windows XP.

Re:RTFA

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually I would say it is a pebkac (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair) as I have never had a problem setting other applications to open AVIs than Media Player in XP.

Re:And on the 4th of July, too

[Roger W Moore]

A day when we celebrate victory in a civil war

Civil war? I think you mean revolution unless you still regard yourselves as British. I know you still have a mad king...er....president George but its not quite the same you know.

Bad Microsoft, no biscuit!

[spun]

Bad, naughty Microsoft, no biscuit for you. Don't make those eyes at me! Oh, your so cute, I can't stay mad at you. Here's your biscuit. Stop it! I gave you a biscuit. Oh, all right, here's another.

...

Honey! The Microsoft took a crap on the rug again! Have you been feeding it biscuits?

Re:From the no-one-is-really-surprised dept

[Anonymous Coward]

He'd answer you, but to do that he'd have to empty Dubya's sperm from his mouth. Come back later, k?

--Secretary to Mr. Ashcroft