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Computerworld - Federal and state regulators have struck a deal with Microsoft Corp. that any version of Windows released after May 2011 will not be subject to the scrutiny mandated by a 2002 antitrust settlement.

As previously promised, however, Windows 7 will be put under the microscope.

Yesterday, the Department of Justice filed documents (download PDF) with U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly asking that she extend her oversight by at least 18 months, until May 12, 2011, to give Microsoft more time to finish documenting the communication protocols needed by competitors to craft software that works smoothly with Windows clients and servers.

Although Microsoft has consented to the extension -- and acknowledged that the regulators can later ask for another 18 months -- Kollar-Kotelly must approve the request.

The two sides have also agreed to clarify the status of future versions of Windows, the documents revealed.

The plaintiffs -- the DOJ and the various states that participated in the 2002 settlement -- disavowed any future extension request solely because of an impending Windows upgrade. "Plaintiffs and Microsoft have agreed to a clarifying modification of Section V.A that makes clear that the pending release of a new version of Windows will not provide grounds for Plaintiffs to exercise their right to seek a further extension of the Final Judgments for up to eighteen additional months beyond May 12, 2011," the papers stated.

Originally, the consent decree Microsoft signed was to expire in November 2007. But several states objected, and after months of legal back and forth, Kollar-Kotelly in January 2008 extended her oversight by another two years, to Nov. 12, 2009. At that time, however, she left the door open to continued monitoring, and Microsoft agreed that she could extend it for up to three more years, to Nov. 12, 2012.