Attorney General Lockyer Statement on Federal Appeals Court Ruling on Microsoft

(SACRAMENTO) – Attorney General Bill Lockyer issued the following statement on the federal appeals court ruling today in the antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft by the U.S. Justice Department and several states, including California:

"The federal appeals court upheld unanimously the finding that Microsoft has an illegal monopoly in computer operating systems. The court took issue with the process by which remedies were imposed, not the core of the case. Monopolies injure consumers and business competitors. Our continuing duty is to fight for a fair and open market place. We intend to convince Microsoft to compete fairly whether we have to do it by litigation or can achieve it with a court-supervised agreement."

The court ruling was issued by the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.