Judge disses Google in Microsoft antitrust case

SURELY ONLY the most cynical journalist would suggest that Microsoft delayed the introduction of Vista for three and a half years because it knew the Department of Justice (DoJ) remedy was running out of time this year?

According to today's Wall Street Journal, perhaps soon to be owned by Rupert Murdoch of News International, judgette Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a federalist watching over Microsoft since the "consent decree", has done something of a Pontius Pilate and left it to the DoJ to decide whether Microsoft is snarking Google on web search technology. If Google still complains.

Ms C K-K has told Google Two Shoes to go take a running jump and argue it with the Department of Justice (DoJ) lawyers. State lawyers may be able to do something different, state attorneys maybe something even better.

Perhaps Rupert Murdoch has already taken over the Wall Street Journal as well as the New York Post which he already owns. Because according to the Journal, Google is claiming Microsoft Vista is "disadvantaging" rivals. The verb "to disadvantage" is a new one to us.

Even the Googling state of California thought Microsoft had gone the distance to address concerns about search engines and the like. But, and we speak from way outside the jurisdiction of American courts (we hope), it does seem remarkable that convicted monopolists like Microsoft and IBM are outside of the jurisdiction of the World Court of Justice, based in den Haag. Or is it Zurich? We await people - obviously not the Vole or Big Glue - to start accusing Google of monopolistic tendencies. [Er, they already have. Ed.] µ

L'INQ
Wall Street Journal Sub needed. Soon to be in the same family ss the New York Post?