AP: Judge tells Microsoft, government to settle antitrust case quickly. “There’s no reason this case can’t be settled,” U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said Friday.
Yes, there is.
Nothing — absolutely nothing — in Microsoft’s corporate DNA or its actions during the past few years should lead anyone to believe that the company has any intention of backing down even slightly from its extreme stance. That is, through words and deeds Microsoft has demonstrated its conviction that that the antitrust laws apply to its software.
Kollar-Kotelly is only the latest federal judge to venture near the legal third rail known as the Microsoft antitrust case. She clearly has no idea what kind of company she’s dealing with here.
A safe prediction: In the unlikely event that a settlement does happen, it will almost certainly involve a thorough cave-in by the government.