Microsoft details compliance progress in antitrust case

IDG News Service - Microsoft Corp. has begun to take steps to prevent antitrust settlement violations, including establishing employee training programs, as part of the agreement it reached with the U.S. government last November.
Microsoft detailed the measures in a joint status report it filed with plaintiffs in the case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia yesterday. The software maker also took pains to outline information-sharing agreements between the parties that protect its proprietary information from leaking to the public.
The status report is presumably the first of many to be filed in the wake of the landmark antitrust case, in which the software maker was found to be a monopoly. As part of the settlement deal, Microsoft now has to put a series of protections in place, including unbundling its middleware, sharing some source code and taking an evenhanded approach with PC makers.
The company is also taking internal steps, such as providing antitrust training to employees, to prevent future violations and ensure that it meets stipulations under the settlement.
Microsoft said in the filing that it has established an antitrust compliance committee of the board of directors, appointed a compliance officer, provided required annual antitrust training for officers and established a Web site for third-party complaints. The company said it has also implemented "extensive training programs to ensure that Microsoft employees are aware of the company's obligations under the final settlement."
Microsoft has been conducting training sessions for its legion of about 400 in-house legal staffers, as well as for some 10,000 employees worldwide, and is developing plans for sustained training. It suggested that compliance status reports be made to the court every six months.
The software maker also made sure to outline strict information-sharing practices that would protect its proprietary information.
In the filing, the plaintiffs stated that they would "take all the necessary precautions to ensure that any information received regarding Microsoft's compliance with the final judgment will be given the highest degree on confidentiality protection available."