On Thursday, US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said she will release her widely-anticipated ruling at 1:30pm PST on November 1.
Kollar-Kotelly indicated she would rule on two matters that have been proceeding on parallel tracks: whether to approve a tentative deal that Microsoft and the US Justice Department inked last fall, and what remedies are appropriate in the separate case being pursued by state attorneys general.
The decision will be available at the district court's Web site, http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov, after financial markets close.
Under a federal law called the Tunney Act, Kollar-Kotelly must determine whether the antitrust settlement "is in the public interest." She's required to consider whether the deal will thwart any alleged wrongdoing, how it will affect competitors and how long it will remain in force.
Microsoft competitors including AOL Time Warner, SBC Communications, Sun Microsystems, Palm and Novell had complained in court filings that additional penalties are needed.
Nine of the 18 states that filed the lawsuit in 1998 have signed the proposed settlement. Another nine--California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Utah and West Virginia--continue to pursue the case.
If Kollar-Kotelly does not agree to the proposed settlement, the Justice Department and Microsoft could appeal.
