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Microsoft hurt by reports
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May 7, 1998: 6:49 p.m. ET
Shares drop amid reports the Justice Department may be closing in
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Shares of Microsoft Corp. fell sharply Thursday amid speculation the Justice Department is within days of filing a far-reaching antitrust suit against the software giant.
Microsoft (MSFT) shares finished at 88-3/8, down 3 at Thursday's close.
An article in the May 18 issue of Business Week said the Justice Department is getting ready to launch "an expansive antitrust action" against Microsoft.
On Tuesday, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates met with the Justice Department to let officials know what would be at stake in any new antitrust suit against the company.
Mark Murray, a Microsoft spokesman, said the government has not given any indication that it is close to filing a suit and that Gates' meeting with Justice Department officials should not be taken as a sign that some kind of action is near.
"We thought it was a very constructive meeting," Murray said. "It was an opportunity for (Gates) to talk to the Justice Department about innovation in the software industry."
Microsoft is getting ready to ship copies of Windows 98 to PC makers next week. The company claims any effort to block the shipment or delay the launch of Windows 98 would hurt the American economy and wreak havoc throughout the software industry.
Earlier this week, Microsoft arranged a news conference with representatives from some of the biggest technology companies in the business to plead its case.
Microsoft also filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday requesting removal of a preliminary injunction against Windows 98, which Microsoft plans to ship to computer makers May 15.
In December, a U.S. District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction barring Microsoft from forcing computer makers to include its Internet Explorer Web browser with the Windows 95 operating system "or any successor version." 
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