Search This, Google!
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The information and search company was a non-presence at today's Microsoft status hearing, in a tale of billable hours gone bust. |
Yesterday, Google filed a friend of the court brief, asserting that Microsoft's planned Vista search changes weren't enough and asking United States District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to extend Microsoft's antitrust oversight agreement. But, as it turns out, Google didn't really file that brief after all. It filed a request to file the brief, presumably including the latter document.
Kollar-Kotelly will later rule on whether she'll even accept Google's request to submit the legal brief. Right now, Google has no standing with the court, despite all its bellowing about the Vista search.
As I've tried to explain in previous posts about the Google complaint, Microsoft's consent decree establishes a procedure for handling any third-party complaints. A technical committee reviews the complaints and determines their validity. The Justice Department, Microsoft and the individual states negotiate any changes, which they did following the original Google complaint. As long as the parties are in concert, the judge's role is primarily to oversee these proceedings.
During today's hearing, Kollar-Kotelly apparently instructed the parties to act in the public interest, which should be taken more as a reminder than an admonishment.
That's certainly how Microsoft took her instruction, as it should, given the processes established for government oversight under the consent decree.
"We're pleased and we're going to work hard to implement the resolution we reached with all the governments involved and presented to the Court today," Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, said in a statement.
His statement is the legal equivalent of giving the raspberry to Google.
Related Posts:
- Fake or Real, He's Probably Right, Microsoft Watch, June 26, 2007
- Google This!, Microsoft Watch, June 25, 2007
- Microsoft Will Modify Vista Search, Microsoft Watch, June 20, 2007
- Why Google Succeeds, Part 2, Microsoft Watch, June 15, 2007
- Why Google Succeeds, Part 1, Microsoft Watch, June 15, 2007
- Google Complaint Targets Vista Search, Microsoft Watch, June 9, 2007
- The Google Problem, Microsoft Watch, May 31, 2007
- And There Was One, Microsoft Watch, Feb. 21, 2007
- Microsoft Competitors' 'Wow' Moment, Microsoft Watch, Jan. 26, 2007
- Who You Gonna Call? Trustbusters!, Microsoft Watch, Nov. 17, 2006
- DOJ Rebuffs Google's IE Complaint, Microsoft Watch, May 14, 2006
Comments (4)
Joe,
Do we really want MS on its own soon with DOJ oversite? Given its long and shady past, I say no. And perhaps this is the real question at the bottom of this spat between MS and Google. MS could have just put an easy way to turn off the services always running in the background off for the user, but no.
Speaking of shady workings, MS has been known to bribe those who write articles on them. Remember the Acer laptops that were sent out with Vista on them? Remember the attempt to bribe the Wiki site?
How about this one that came out today on Digg; theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=40553
Paid bloggers, who would have thought it. MS has an army of them.
Posted by chips b malroy | June 26, 2007 5:31 PM
They also have a program in India where people who write blogs that are favourable to Microsoft will receive awards.
Microsoft is ruining the credibility of blogs, and I don't think it cares at all. In fact, given the anti-Microsoft sentiment in many blogs, Microsoft will happily destroy them. Bill Gates' Foundation has $billions invested in media, newspapers and so forth. They will always be obedient to the advertiser and owner.
It feels like Microsoft makes the world be subjected to what we see in China -- censorship and bias.
Posted by Roy Schestowitz | June 27, 2007 4:13 AM
It is also rumored that MS employs bloggers as well to blog in the comments sections of many sites, exoecially about Vista OS.
Posted by chips b malroy | June 27, 2007 9:28 PM
Like a personal attack on an Open Source blogger?
http://weblog.infoworld.com/openresource/archives/2007/05/sco_was_microso.html
WATCH THE COMMENT:
,----[ Quote ]
| Backhanded compliments are always transparent. If you want your blog to
| have any credibility at all, you might want to consider putting some
| facts in with your opinion. You might also consider putting more of
| your own words in a blog post. You seem to have put the other blog'sw
| ords in your own little wrapper -- hoping to get credit for the ideas.
|
|
| [MATT'S NOTE: The IP address for this one came from One Microsoft
| Way in Redmond, WA. Imagine that.]
| Posted by: Tobin (Microsoft Employee) at May 29, 2007 08:39 AM
`----
Enough said.
Posted by Roy Schestowitz | June 28, 2007 7:09 PM