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Microsoft trial delayed
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September 14, 1998: 7:12 a.m. ET
Judge grants 3-week delay on new evidence, defense strategy revealed
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The landmark antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. is being delayed by three weeks.
Lawyers for the software giant sought the delay at a hearing Friday. Earlier at the same hearing, Microsoft attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson to throw the case out completely.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson declined Friday to rule on Microsoft's request to dismiss the case altogether. But the judge decided to bump the trial to Oct. 15 from the previously scheduled Sept. 23 starting date, the New York Times reported Monday.
Microsoft complained that, without the extension, it does not have adequate time to mount its defense against newly surfaced evidence.
Prosecutors Friday reportedly offered a peek at their evidence, purportedly showing Microsoft top executives attempting to muscle two companies threatening its Windows software monopoly.
Much of the evidence is e-mail messages and personal memos written over the years.
The software giant claims its competitive behavior is no different from that of its rivals, and is expected to say it's standard practice in a free marketplace.
The antitrust lawsuit began in May when the federal government and 20 states accused Microsoft of illegally using its monopoly in desktop operating systems to control competitors in other market areas.
Shares of Microsoft (MSFT) closed up 3-1/2 Friday at 104-1/4 on the Nasdaq.
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