Microsoft judge to hear states next year

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has laid out the next steps for the Microsoft antitrust trial, scheduling a hearing early next year. As expected, Kollar-Kotelly set a March 4 hearing to address continued litigation by several states. Those states refused to join a settlement reached this week between the software giant and the Justice Department, a statement some competitors and consumer groups criticized for placing relatively mild restrictions on Microsoft. Kollar-Kotelly ordered that the proposed final settlement be filed with the court no later than Nov. 15, accompanied by an analysis of the anticipated effects of the agreement. The government is required to publish summaries of the settlement and of its competitive study in three major newspapers by the end of November. A 60-day period of public comment will begin after the proposed settlement is published in the Federal Register later this month.