A coalition of states is set to file a lawsuit seeking to stop Microsoft from releasing its new Windows 98 software, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said today.
"It is very imminent, probably within the next couple of weeks," Blumenthal said in an interview. "The focus is the Microsoft monopoly and the extension of that monopoly through Windows 98 and the restraints that it is imposing on Windows 98 users to incorporate other software products and screen restrictions down the line."
The software products he referred to likely would include Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, which would be integrated into the company's updated operating system.
For weeks, the media has been rife with reports about the possibility that state attorneys general could act and the possibility of a new federal lawsuit against Microsoft. But until now, everyone discussing the issue did so on the condition of anonymity.
A Justice Department official had no comment on Blumenthal's comments.
The suit, Blumenthal said, will address "the stranglehold Microsoft has on the operating systems market through that product, as well as the exercise of that power over related products. The use of that dominance to tie and leverage other products and thereby restrain competition is what concerns us."
About a dozen states are in on the case and more may join, Blumenthal said.
Microsoft, already the dominant operating system supplier, plans to release Windows 98 on 25 June. It is expected to start shipping the product to personal computer-makers in mid-May.
The Justice Department has been battling with Microsoft over issues involving Windows 95, but has not filed any suits regarding Windows 98.
Blumenthal said the states were prepared to go forward alone, but have been working "hand in glove" with the Justice Department, sharing information and strategy.
"Potential remedies [to their concerns] range from stopping the forced integration of the software products with Windows 98 to eliminating other restrictions that are imposed by Microsoft, possibly through a court order, if the company does not voluntarily change its plans," he said.
The company is "well aware" of the state's concerns Blumenthal said.
Microsoft spokesman Mark Murray said the company was "continuing to work very closely with the states and the Department of Justice to answer all of their questions and provide all the information they need."
"We are hopeful that both the states and the Department of Justice will agree that Microsoft is completely within the law and competing fairly," he said.
