UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
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Plaintiff,
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v.
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Civil Action No. 98-1232 (TPJ) |
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MICROSOFT CORPORATION,
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Defendant.
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STATE OF NEW YORK, et al.,
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Plaintiffs,
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v.
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MICROSOFT CORPORATION,
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Defendant.
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Civil Action No. 98-1233 (TPJ) |
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MICROSOFT CORPORATION,
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Counterclaim-Plaintiff,
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v.
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ELIOT SPITZER, attorney
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general of the State of
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New York, in his official
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capacity, et al.,
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Counterclaim-Defendants.
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FINAL JUDGMENT
Plaintiff, United States of America, having filed its complaint herein on May
18, 1998;
Plaintiff States, having filed their complaint herein on the same day;
Defendant Microsoft Corporation ("Microsoft") having appeared and filed its
answer to such complaints;
The Court having jurisdiction of the parties hereto and of the subject matter
hereof and having conducted a trial thereon and entered Findings of Fact on
November 5, 1999, and Conclusions of Law on April 3, 2000;
The Court having entered judgment in accordance with the Findings of Fact and
the Conclusions of Law on April 3, 2000, that Microsoft has violated §§ 1 and 2
of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1, 2, as well as the following state law
provisions: Cal Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 16720, 16726, 16727, 17200; Conn. Gen.
Stat. §§ 35-26, 35-27, 35-29; D.C. Code §§ 28-4502, 28-4503; Fla. Stat. chs.
501.204(1), 542.18, 542.19; 740 Ill. Comp. Stat. ch. 10/3; Iowa Code §§ 553.4,
553.5; Kan. Stat. §§ 50-101 et seq.; Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 367.170, 367.175; La.
Rev. Stat. §§ 51:122, 51:123, 51:1405; Md. Com. Law II Code Ann. § 11-204; Mass.
Gen. Laws ch. 93A, § 2; Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 445.772, 445.773; Minn. Stat. §
325D.52; N.M. Stat. §§ 57-1-1, 57-1-2; N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 340; N.C. Gen. Stat.
§§ 75-1.1, 75-2.1; Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1331.01, 1331.02; Utah Code § 76-10-914;
W.Va. Code §§ 47-18-3, 47-18-4; Wis. Stat. § 133.03(1)-(2); and
Upon the record at trial and all prior and subsequent proceedings herein, it
is this _____ day of June, 2000, hereby:
ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED as follows:
1. Divestiture
a. Not later than four months after entry of this
Final Judgment, Microsoft shall submit to the Court and the Plaintiffs a
proposed plan of divestiture. The Plaintiffs shall submit any objections to
the proposed plan of divestiture to the Court within 60 days of receipt of the
plan, and Microsoft shall submit its response within 30 days of receipt of the
plaintiffs' objections.
b. Following approval of a final plan of
divestiture by the Court (the "Plan")(1) (and the
expiration of the stay pending appeal set forth in
section 6.a), Microsoft shall implement such Plan.
c. The Plan shall provide for the completion,
within 12 months of the expiration of the stay pending appeal set forth in
section 6.a., of the following steps:
i. The separation of the Operating Systems
Business from the Applications Business, and the transfer of the assets of
one of them (the "Separated Business") to a separate entity along with (a)
all personnel, systems, and other tangible and intangible assets (including
Intellectual Property) used to develop, produce, distribute, market,
promote, sell, license and support the products and services of the
Separated Business, and (b) such other assets as are necessary to operate
the Separated Business as an independent and economically viable entity.
ii. Intellectual Property that is used both in a
product developed, distributed, or sold by the Applications Business and in
a product developed, distributed, or sold by the Operating Systems Business
as of April 27, 2000, shall be assigned to the Applications Business, and
the Operating Systems Business shall be granted a perpetual, royalty-free
license to license and distribute such Intellectual Property in its
products, and, except with respect to such Intellectual Property related to
the Internet browser, to develop, license and distribute modified or
derivative versions of such Intellectual Property, provided that the
Operating Systems Business does not grant rights to such versions to the
Applications Business. In the case of such Intellectual Property that is
related to the Internet browser, the license shall not grant the Operating
Systems Business any right to develop, license, or distribute modified or
derivative versions of the Internet browser.
iii. The transfer of ownership of the Separated
Business by means of a distribution of stock of the Separated Business to
Non-Covered Shareholders of Microsoft, or by other disposition that does not
result in a Covered Shareholder owning stock in both the Separated Business
and the Remaining Business.
d. Until Implementation of the Plan, Microsoft
shall:
i. preserve, maintain, and operate the Operating
Systems Business and the Applications Business as ongoing, economically
viable businesses, with management, sales, products, and operations of each
business held as separate, distinct and apart from one another as they were
on April 27, 2000, except to provide the accounting, management, and
information services or other necessary support functions provided by
Microsoft prior to the entry of this Final Judgment;
ii. use all reasonable efforts to maintain and
increase the sales and revenues of both the products produced or sold by the
Operating Systems Business and those produced or sold by the Applications
Business prior to the Implementation of the Plan and to support research and
development and business development efforts of both the Operating Systems
Business and the Applications Business;
iii. take no action that undermines, frustrates,
interferes with, or makes more difficult the divestiture required by this
Final Judgment without the prior approval of the Court; and
iv. file a report with the Court 90 days after
entry of this Final Judgment on the steps Microsoft has taken to comply with
the requirements of this section 1.d.
2. Provisions Implementing Divestiture
a. After Implementation of the Plan, and throughout
the term of this Final Judgment, neither the Operating Systems Business nor
the Applications Business, nor any member of their respective Boards of
Directors, shall acquire any securities or assets of the other Business; no
Covered Shareholder holding securities of either the Operating Systems
Business or the Applications Business shall acquire any securities or assets
of or shall be an officer, director, or employee of the other Business; and no
person who is an officer, director, or employee of the Operating Systems
Business or the Applications Business shall be an officer, director, or
employee of the other Business.
b. After Implementation of the Plan and throughout
the term of this Final Judgment, the Operating Systems Business and the
Applications Business shall be prohibited from:
i. merging or otherwise recombining, or entering
into any joint venture with one another;
ii. entering into any Agreement with one another
under which one of the Businesses develops, sells, licenses for sale or
distribution, or distributes products or services (other than the
technologies referred to in the following sentence) developed, sold,
licensed, or distributed by the other Business;
iii. providing to the other any APIs, Technical
Information, Communications Interfaces, or technical information that is not
simultaneously published, disclosed, or made readily available to ISVs,
IHVs, and OEMs; and
iv. licensing, selling or otherwise providing to
the other Business any product or service on terms more favorable than those
available to any similarly situated third party.
Section 2.b.ii shall not prohibit the Operating Systems Business
and the Applications Business from licensing technologies (other than
Middleware Products) to each other for use in each others' products or
services provided that such technology (i) is not and has not been
separately sold, licensed, or offered as a product, and (ii) is licensed on
terms that are otherwise consistent with this Final Judgment.
c. Three months after Implementation of the Plan and
once every three months thereafter throughout the term of this Final Judgment,
the Operating Systems Business and the Applications Business shall file with
the Plaintiffs a copy of each Agreement (and a memorandum describing each oral
Agreement) entered into between them.
d. Throughout the term of this Final Judgment,
Microsoft, the Operating Systems Business and the Applications Business shall
be prohibited from taking adverse action against any person or entity in whole
or in part because such person or entity provided evidence in this case.
e. The obligations and restrictions set forth in
sections 3 and 4 herein shall, after the Implementation of the Plan, apply
only to the Operating Systems Business.
3. Provisions In Effect Until Full
Implementation of the Plan of Divestiture . The provisions in this section 3
shall remain in effect until the earlier of three years after the Implementation
of the Plan or the expiration of the term of this Final Judgment.
a. OEM Relations.
i. Ban on Adverse Actions for Supporting
Competing Products. Microsoft shall not take or threaten any action
adversely affecting any OEM (including but not limited to giving or
withholding any consideration such as licensing terms; discounts; technical,
marketing, and sales support; enabling programs; product information;
technical information; information about future plans; developer tools or
developer support; hardware certification; and permission to display
trademarks or logos) based directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, on
any actual or contemplated action by that OEM:
(1) to use, distribute, promote, license,
develop, produce or sell any product or service that competes with any
Microsoft product or service; or
(2) to exercise any of the options or
alternatives provided under this Final Judgment.
ii. Uniform Terms for Windows Operating
System Products Licensed to Covered OEMs. Microsoft shall license Windows
Operating System Products to Covered OEMs pursuant to uniform license
agreements with uniform terms and conditions and shall not employ market
development allowances or discounts in connection with Windows Operating
System Products. Without limiting the foregoing, Microsoft shall charge each
Covered OEM the applicable royalty for Windows Operating System Products as
set forth on a schedule, to be established by Microsoft and published on a
web site accessible to plaintiffs and all Covered OEMs , that provides for
uniform royalties for Windows Operating System Products, except that -
(1) the schedule may specify different
royalties for different language versions, and
(2) the schedule may specify reasonable volume
discounts based upon actual volume of total shipments of Windows Operating
System Products.
Without limiting the foregoing, Microsoft shall afford Covered
OEMs equal access to licensing terms; discounts; technical, marketing, and
sales support; product information; technical information; information
about future plans; developer tools or developer support; hardware
certification; and permission to display trademarks or logos. The
foregoing requirement insofar as it relates to access to technical
information and information about future plans shall not apply to any bona
fide joint development effort by Microsoft and a Covered OEM with respect
to confidential matters within the scope of that effort. Microsoft shall
not terminate a Covered OEM's license for a Windows Operating System
Product without having first given the Covered OEM written notice of the
reason for the proposed termination and not less than thirty days'
opportunity to cure. Microsoft shall not enforce any provision in any
Agreement with a Covered OEM that is inconsistent with this Final
Judgment.
iii. OEM Flexibility in Product Configuration.
Microsoft shall not restrict (by contract or otherwise, including but not
limited to granting or withholding consideration) an OEM from modifying the
boot sequence, startup folder, internet connection wizard, desktop,
preferences, favorites, start page, first screen, or other aspect of a
Windows Operating System Product to -
(1) include a registration sequence to obtain
subscription or other information from the user;
(2) display icons of or otherwise feature other
products or services, regardless of the size or shape of such icons or
features, or to remove the icons, folders, start menu entries, or
favorites of Microsoft products or services;
(3) display any user interfaces, provided that
an icon is also displayed that allows the user to access the Windows user
interface; or
(4) launch automatically any non-Microsoft
Middleware, Operating System or application, offer its own Internet access
provider or other start-up sequence, or offer an option to make
non-Microsoft Middleware the Default Middleware and to remove the means of
End-User Access for Microsoft's Middleware Product.
b. Disclosure of APIs, Communications
Interfaces and Technical Information. Microsoft shall disclose to ISVs,
IHVs, and OEMs in a Timely Manner, in whatever media Microsoft
disseminates such information to its own personnel, all APIs, Technical
Information and Communications Interfaces that Microsoft employs to enable -
i. Microsoft applications to interoperate with
Microsoft Platform Software installed on the same Personal Computer, or
ii. a Microsoft Middleware Product to
interoperate with Windows Operating System software (or Middleware
distributed with such Operating System) installed on the same Personal
Computer, or
iii. any Microsoft software installed on one
computer (including but not limited to server Operating Systems and
operating systems for handheld devices) to interoperate with a Windows
Operating System (or Middleware distributed with such Operating System)
installed on a Personal Computer.
To facilitate compliance, and monitoring of compliance, with the
foregoing, Microsoft shall create a secure facility where qualified
representatives of OEMs, ISVs, and IHVs shall be permitted to study,
interrogate and interact with relevant and necessary portions of the source
code and any related documentation of Microsoft Platform Software for the
sole purpose of enabling their products to interoperate effectively with
Microsoft Platform Software (including exercising any of the options in
section 3.a.iii).
c. Knowing Interference with Performance. Microsoft
shall not take any action that it knows will interfere with or degrade the
performance of any non-Microsoft Middleware when interoperating with any
Windows Operating System Product without notifying the supplier of such
non-Microsoft Middleware in writing that Microsoft intends to take such
action, Microsoft's reasons for taking the action, and any ways known to
Microsoft for the supplier to avoid or reduce interference with, or the
degrading of, the performance of the supplier's Middleware.
d. Developer Relations. Microsoft shall not take or
threaten any action affecting any ISV or IHV (including but not limited to
giving or withholding any consideration such as licensing terms; discounts;
technical, marketing, and sales support; enabling programs; product
information; technical information; information about future plans; developer
tools or developer support; hardware certification; and permission to display
trademarks or logos) based directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, on any
actual or contemplated action by that ISV or IHV to -
i. use, distribute, promote or support any
Microsoft product or service, or
ii. develop, use, distribute, promote or support
software that runs on non-Microsoft Middleware or a non-Microsoft Operating
System or that competes with any Microsoft product or service, or
iii. exercise any of the options or alternatives
provided under this Final Judgment.
e. Ban on Exclusive Dealing. Microsoft shall
not enter into or enforce any Agreement in which a third party agrees, or is
offered or granted
consideration,
to -
i. restrict its development, production, distribution,
promotion or use of, or payment for, any non-Microsoft Platform Software,
ii. distribute, promote or use any Microsoft
Platform Software exclusively,
iii. degrade the performance of any non-Microsoft
Platform Software, or
iv. in the case of an agreement with an Internet
access provider or Internet content provider, distribute, promote or use
Microsoft software in exchange for placement with respect to any aspect of a
Windows Operating System Product.
f. Ban on Contractual Tying. Microsoft shall
not condition the granting of a Windows Operating System Product license, or
the terms or administration of such license, on an OEM or other licensee
agreeing to license, promote, or distribute any other Microsoft software
product that Microsoft distributes separately from the Windows Operating
System Product in the retail channel or through Internet access providers,
Internet content providers, ISVs or OEMs, whether or not for a separate or
positive price.
g. Restriction on Binding Middleware Products to
Operating System Products. Microsoft shall not, in any Operating System
Product distributed six or more months after the effective date of this Final
Judgment, Bind any Middleware Product to a Windows Operating System unless:
i. Microsoft also offers an otherwise identical
version of that Operating System Product in which all means of End-User
Access to that Middleware Product can readily be removed (a) by OEMs as part
of standard OEM preinstallation kits and (b) by end users using add-remove
utilities readily accessible in the initial boot process and from the
Windows desktop; and
ii. when an OEM removes End-User Access to a
Middleware Product from any Personal Computer on which Windows is
preinstalled, the royalty paid by that OEM for that copy of Windows is
reduced in an amount not less than the product of the otherwise applicable
royalty and the ratio of the number of amount in bytes of binary code of (a)
the Middleware Product as distributed separately from a Windows Operating
System Product to (b) the applicable version of Windows.
h. Agreements Limiting Competition. Microsoft
shall not offer, agree to provide, or provide any consideration to any actual
or potential Platform Software competitor in exchange for such competitor's
agreeing to refrain or refraining in whole or in part from developing,
licensing, promoting or distributing any Operating System Product or
Middleware Product competitive with any Windows Operating System Product or
Middleware Product.
i. Continued Licensing of Predecessor Version.
Microsoft shall, when it makes a major Windows Operating System Product
release (such as Windows 95, OSR 2.0, OSR 2.5, Windows 98, Windows 2000
Professional, Windows "Millennium," "Whistler," "Blackcomb," and successors to
these), continue for three years after said release to license on the same
terms and conditions the previous Windows Operating System Product to any OEM
that desires such a license. The net royalty rate for the previous Windows
Operating System Product shall be no more than the average royalty paid by the
OEM for such Product prior to the release. The OEM shall be free to market
Personal Computers in which it preinstalls such an Operating System Product in
the same manner in which it markets Personal Computers preinstalled with other
Windows Operating System Products.
4. Internal Antitrust Compliance. This section
shall remain in effect throughout the term of this Final Judgment, provided
that, consistent with section 2.e, this section shall not apply to the
Applications Business after the Implementation of the Plan.
a. Within 90 days after the effective date of this
Final Judgment, Microsoft shall establish a Compliance Committee of its
corporate Board of Directors, consisting of not fewer than three members of
the Board of Directors who are not present or former employees of Microsoft.
b. The Compliance Committee shall hire a Chief
Compliance Officer, who shall report directly to the Compliance Committee and
to the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft.
c. The Chief Compliance Officer shall be responsible for
development and supervision of Microsoft's internal programs to ensure
compliance with the antitrust laws and this Final Judgment.
d. Microsoft shall give the Chief Compliance
Officer sufficient authority and resources to discharge the responsibilities
listed herein.
e. The Chief Compliance Officer shall:
i. within 90 days after entry of this Final
Judgment, cause to be delivered to each Microsoft officer, director, and
Manager, and each platform software developer and employee involved in
relations with OEMs, ISVs, or IHVs, a copy of this Final Judgment together
with additional informational materials describing the conduct prohibited
and required by this Final Judgment;
ii. distribute in a timely manner a copy of this
Final Judgment and such additional informational materials to any person who
succeeds to a position of officer, director, or Manager, or platform
software developer or employee involved in relations with OEMs, ISVs or
IHVs;
iii. obtain from each officer, director, and
Manager, and each platform software developer and employee involved in
relations with OEMs, ISVs or IHVs, within 90 days of entry of this Final
Judgment, and for each person thereafter succeeding to such a position
within 5 days of such succession, a written certification that he or
she:
(1) has read, understands, and agrees to abide by
the terms of this Final Judgment; and
(2) has been advised and understands that his
or her failure to comply with this Final Judgment may result in conviction
for criminal contempt of court;
iv. maintain a record of persons to whom
this Final Judgment has been distributed and from whom, pursuant to Section
4.e.iii, such certifications have been obtained;
v. establish and maintain a means by which
employees can report potential violations of this Final Judgment or the
antitrust laws on a confidential basis; and
vi. report immediately to Plaintiffs and the
Court any violation of this Final Judgment.
f. The Chief Compliance Officer may be removed only by
the Chief Executive Officer with the concurrence of the Compliance Committee.
g. Microsoft shall, with the supervision of the
Chief Compliance Officer, maintain for a period of at least four years the
e-mail of all Microsoft officers, directors and managers engaged in software
development, marketing, sales and developer relations related to Platform
Software.
5. Compliance Inspection. This section shall
remain in effect throughout the term of this Final Judgment.
a. For purposes of determining or securing
implementation of or compliance with this Final Judgment, including the
provisions requiring a plan of divestiture, or determining whether this Final
Judgment should be modified or vacated, and subject to any legally recognized
privilege, from time to time:
i. Duly authorized representatives of a
Plaintiff, upon the written request of the Assistant Attorney General in
charge of the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice,
or the Attorney General of a Plaintiff State, as the case may be, and on
reasonable notice to Microsoft made to its principal office, shall be
permitted:
(1) Access during office hours to inspect and copy or, at
Plaintiffs' option, demand Microsoft provide copies of all books, ledgers,
accounts, correspondence, memoranda, source code, and other records and
documents in the possession or under the control of Microsoft (which may
have counsel present), relating to the matters contained in this Final
Judgment; and
(2) Subject to the reasonable convenience of Microsoft and
without restraint or interference from it, to interview, either informally
or on the record, its officers, employees, and agents, who may have their
individual counsel present, regarding any such
matters.
ii. Upon the written request of the Assistant Attorney
General in charge of the Antitrust Division of the United States Department
of Justice, or the Attorney General of a Plaintiff State, as the case may
be, made to Microsoft at its principal offices, Microsoft shall submit such
written reports, under oath if requested, as may be requested with respect
to any matter contained in this Final Judgment.
iii. No information or documents obtained by the
means provided in this section shall be divulged by a representative of a
Plaintiff to any person other than a duly authorized representative of a
Plaintiff, except in the course of legal proceedings to which the Plaintiff
is a party (including grand jury proceedings), or for the purpose of
securing compliance with this Final Judgment, or as otherwise required by
law.
iv. If at the time information or documents are
furnished by Microsoft to a Plaintiff, Microsoft represents and identifies
in writing the material in any such information or documents to which a
claim of protection may be asserted under Rule 26(c)(7) of the Federal Rules
of Civil Procedure, and Microsoft marks each pertinent page of such
material, "Subject to claim of protection under Rule 26(c)(7) of the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure," then 10 calendar days notice shall be given by a
Plaintiff to Microsoft prior to divulging such material in any legal
proceeding (other than a grand jury proceeding) to which Microsoft is not a
party.
6. Effective Date, Term, Retention of
Jurisdiction, Modification.
a. This Final Judgment shall take effect 90 days
after the date on which it is entered; provided, however that sections 1.b and
2 (except 2.d) shall be stayed pending completion of any appeals from this
Final Judgment.
b. Except as provided in section 2.e, the
provisions of this Final Judgment apply to Microsoft as defined in section 7.o
of this Final Judgment.
c. This Final Judgment shall expire at the end of
ten years from the date on which it takes effect.
d. The Court may act sua sponte to
issue orders or directions for the construction or carrying out of this Final
Judgment, for the enforcement of compliance therewith, and for the punishment
of any violation thereof.
e. Jurisdiction is retained by this Court for the
purpose of enabling any of the parties to this Final Judgment to apply to this
Court at any time for such further orders or directions as may be necessary or
appropriate for the construction or carrying out of this Final Judgment, for
the modification of any of the provisions hereof, for the enforcement of
compliance herewith, and for the punishment of any violation hereof.
f. In accordance with the Court's Conclusions of
Law, the plaintiff States shall submit a motion for costs and fees, with
supporting documents as necessary, no later than 45 days after the entry of
this Final Judgment.
7. Definitions.
a. "Agreement" means any agreement, arrangement,
alliance, understanding or joint venture, whether written or oral.
b. "Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)" means the
interfaces, service provider interfaces, and protocols that enable a hardware
device or an application, Middleware, or server Operating System to obtain
services from (or provide services in response to requests from) Platform
Software in a Personal Computer and to use, benefit from, and rely on the
resources, facilities, and capabilities of such Platform Software.
c. "Applications Business" means all businesses
carried on by Microsoft Corporation on the effective date of this Final
Judgment except the Operating Systems Business. Applications Business includes
but is not limited to the development, licensing, promotion, and support of
client and server applications and Middleware (e.g., Office,
BackOffice, Internet Information Server, SQL Server, etc.), Internet Explorer,
Mobile Explorer and other web browsers, Streaming Audio and Video client and
server software, transaction server software, SNA server software, indexing
server software, XML servers and parsers, Microsoft Management Server, Java
virtual machines, Frontpage Express (and other web authoring tools), Outlook
Express (and other e-mail clients), Media player, voice recognition software,
Net Meeting (and other collaboration software), developer tools, hardware,
MSN, MSNBC, Slate, Expedia, and all investments owned by Microsoft in partners
or joint venturers, or in ISVs, IHVs, OEMs or other distributors, developers,
and promoters of Microsoft products, or in other information technology or
communications businesses.
d. "Bind" means to include a product in an
Operating System Product in such a way that either an OEM or an end user
cannot readily remove or uninstall the product.
e. "Business" means the Operating Systems Business
or the Applications Business.
f. "Communications Interfaces" means the interfaces
and protocols that enable software installed on other computers (including
servers and handheld devices) to interoperate with the Microsoft Platform
Software on a Personal Computer.
g. "Covered OEM" means one of the 20 OEMs with the
highest volume of licenses of Windows Operating System Products from Microsoft
in the calendar year preceding the effective date of the Final Judgment. At
the beginning of each year, starting on January 1, 2002, Microsoft shall
redetermine the Covered OEMs for the new calendar year, based on sales volume
during the preceding calendar year.
h. "Covered Shareholder" means a shareholder of
Microsoft on the date of entry of this Final Judgment who is a present or
former employee, officer or director of Microsoft and who owns directly or
beneficially more than 5 percent of the voting stock of the firm.
i. "Default Middleware" means Middleware configured
to launch automatically (that is, by "default") to provide particular
functionality when other Middleware has not been selected for this purpose.
For example, a default browser is Middleware configured to launch
automatically to display Web pages transmitted over the Internet or an
intranet that bear the .htm extension, when other software has not been
selected for this purpose.
j. "End-User Access" means the invocation of
Middleware directly or indirectly by an end user of a Personal Computer or the
ability of such an end user to invoke Middleware. "End-User Access" includes
invocation of Middleware by end users which is compelled by the design of the
Operating System Product.
k. "IHV" means an independent hardware vendor that
develops hardware to be included in or used with a Personal Computer.
l. "Implementation of the Plan" means full
completion of all of the steps described in section 1.c.
m. "Intellectual Property" means copyrights,
patents, trademarks and trade secrets used by Microsoft or licensed by
Microsoft to third parties.
n. "ISV" means any entity other than Microsoft (or
any subsidiary, division, or other operating unit of any such other entity)
that is engaged in the development and licensing (or other marketing) of
software products intended to interoperate with Microsoft Platform Software.
o. "Manager" means a Microsoft employee who is
responsible for the direct or indirect supervision of more than 100 other
employees.
p. "Microsoft" means Microsoft Corporation, the
Separated Business, the Remaining Business, their successors and assigns
(including any transferee or assignee of any ownership rights to, control of,
or ability to license the patents referred to in this Final Judgment), their
subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, managers, agents, and
employees, and all other persons in active concert or participation with any
of them who shall have received actual notice of this Final Judgment by
personal service or otherwise.
q. "Middleware" means software that operates,
directly or through other software, between an Operating System and another
type of software (such as an application, a server Operating System, or a
database management system) by offering services via APIs or Communications
Interfaces to such other software, and could, if ported to or interoperable
with multiple Operating Systems, enable software products written for that
Middleware to be run on multiple Operating System Products. Examples of
Middleware within the meaning of this Final Judgment include Internet
browsers, e-mail client software, multimedia viewing software, Office, and the
Java Virtual Machine. Examples of software that are not Middleware within the
meaning of this Final Judgment are disk compression and memory management.
r. "Middleware Product" means
i. Internet browsers, e-mail client software,
multimedia viewing software, instant messaging software, and voice
recognition software, or
ii. software distributed by Microsoft that -
(1) is, or has in the applicable preceding year
been, distributed separately from an Operating System Product in the
retail channel or through Internet access providers, Internet content
providers, ISVs or OEMs, and
(2) provides functionality similar to that
provided by Middleware offered by a competitor to Microsoft.
s. "Non-Covered Shareholder" means a
shareholder of Microsoft on the record date for the transaction that effects
the transfer of ownership of the Separated Business under Section 1.c.iii who
is not a Covered Shareholder on the date of entry of this Final Judgment.
t. "OEM" means the manufacturer or assembler of a
personal computer.
u. "Operating System" means the software that
controls the allocation and usage of hardware resources (such as memory,
central processing unit time, disk space, and peripheral devices) of a
computer, providing a "platform" by exposing APIs that applications use to
"call upon" the Operating System's underlying software routines in order to
perform functions.
v. "Operating System Product" means an Operating
System and additional software shipped with the Operating System, whether or
not such additional software is marketed for a positive price. An Operating
System Product includes Operating System Product upgrades that may be
distributed separately from the Operating System Product.
w. "Operating Systems Business" means the
development, licensing, promotion, and support of Operating System Products
for computing devices including but not limited to (i) Personal Computers,
(ii) other computers based on Intel x86 or competitive microprocessors, such
as servers, (iii) handheld devices such as personal digital assistants and
cellular telephones, and (iv) television set-top boxes.
x. "Personal Computer" means any computer configured so
that its primary purpose is to be used by one person at a time, that
uses a video display and keyboard (whether or not the video display and
keyboard are actually included), and that contains an Intel x86, successor, or
competitive microprocessor, and computers that are commercial substitutes for
such computers.
y. "Plaintiff" means the United States or any of
the plaintiff States in this action.
z. "Plan" means the final plan of divestiture
approved by the Court.
aa. "Platform Software" means an Operating System
or Middleware or a combination of an Operating System and Middleware.
bb. "Remaining Business" means whichever of the
Operating Systems Business and the Applications Businesses is not transferred
to a separate entity pursuant to the Plan.
cc. "Separated Business" means whichever of the
Operating Systems Business and the Applications Businesses is transferred to a
separate entity pursuant to the Plan.
dd. "Technical Information" means all information
regarding the identification and means of using APIs and Communications
Interfaces that competent software developers require to make their products
running on any computer interoperate effectively with Microsoft Platform
Software running on a Personal Computer. Technical information includes but is
not limited to reference implementations, communications protocols, file
formats, data formats, syntaxes and grammars, data structure definitions and
layouts, error codes, memory allocation and deallocation conventions,
threading and synchronization conventions, functional specifications and
descriptions, algorithms for data translation or reformatting (including
compression/decompression algorithms and encryption/decryption algorithms),
registry settings, and field contents.
ee. "Timely Manner": disclosure of APIs, Technical
Information and Communications Interfaces in a timely manner means, at a
minimum, publication on a web site accessible by ISVs, IHVs, and OEMs at the
earliest of the time that such APIs, Technical Information, or Communications
Interfaces are (1) disclosed to Microsoft's applications developers, (2) used
by Microsoft's own Platform Software developers in software released by
Microsoft in alpha, beta, release candidate, final or other form, (3)
disclosed to any third party, or (4) within 90 days of a final release of a
Windows Operating System Product, no less than 5 days after a material change
is made between the most recent beta or release candidate version and the
final release.
ff. "Windows Operating System Product" means
software code (including source code and binary code, and any other form in
which Microsoft distributes its Windows Operating Systems for Personal
Computers) of Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 Professional, and their
successors, including the Windows Operating Systems for Personal Computers
codenamed "Millennium," "Whistler," and "Blackcomb," and their successors.
_____________________
Thomas Penfield Jackson
U.S. District
Judge
1. Definitions of capitalized terms are set forth in section
7, below.
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