Vista Limits Choices, Google Alleges
By Alan Sipress and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, June 12, 2007; D03
Allegations by Google that Microsoft's new operating system unfairly disadvantages competitors has revived antitrust accusations against Microsoft and opened a front in a bitter war between the two technology giants.
The complaint, which Google raised confidentially late last year, will probably be reviewed later this month by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is overseeing Microsoft's compliance with a 2002 consent decree. That agreement resolved the government antitrust case brought against the software maker.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said yesterday that officials from several states may decide by early next week whether they will ask the judge to force Microsoft to revise Windows Vista, the latest version of the company's operating system.
"We've reached a critical juncture in our decision-making process," he said in an interview. "If Microsoft is misusing its market dominance with Vista to constrain competition or consumer choice, we will seek appropriate action from the court."
The new dispute centers on the desktop-search capability included in Vista. Desktop search, which is separate from Internet search, allows users to scan their own information, such as data on their hard drive. As people store more information, such as e-mails, on their computers, the desktop search feature has become important for keeping track of the material.
Google, which submitted a 50-page document detailing its concerns, has told federal and state officials who monitor the consent decree that Vista's design makes it difficult for users who want to run Google's desktop search instead.
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By Alan Sipress and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, June 12, 2007; D03
Allegations by Google that Microsoft's new operating system unfairly disadvantages competitors has revived antitrust accusations against Microsoft and opened a front in a bitter war between the two technology giants.
The complaint, which Google raised confidentially late last year, will probably be reviewed later this month by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is overseeing Microsoft's compliance with a 2002 consent decree. That agreement resolved the government antitrust case brought against the software maker.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said yesterday that officials from several states may decide by early next week whether they will ask the judge to force Microsoft to revise Windows Vista, the latest version of the company's operating system.
"We've reached a critical juncture in our decision-making process," he said in an interview. "If Microsoft is misusing its market dominance with Vista to constrain competition or consumer choice, we will seek appropriate action from the court."
The new dispute centers on the desktop-search capability included in Vista. Desktop search, which is separate from Internet search, allows users to scan their own information, such as data on their hard drive. As people store more information, such as e-mails, on their computers, the desktop search feature has become important for keeping track of the material.
Google, which submitted a 50-page document detailing its concerns, has told federal and state officials who monitor the consent decree that Vista's design makes it difficult for users who want to run Google's desktop search instead.
Read more...