WASHINGTON - In court papers released today, the governmentleveled new accusations that Microsoft moved illegally to smother themarket for a rival Internet browser by Netscape.
It also said Microsoft illegally tried to kill in its infancy anew technology, called Java, that threatened to supplant Windows asthe world's dominant operating system.
The government also made passing mention to Microsoft's allegeddiscussions with rivals Intel, Apple Computer and RealNetworks as"part of a pattern ... to divide the market and restrict or eliminatecompetition."
It said Microsoft tried to dissuade Intel from continuing todevelop software, tried to convince Apple not to sell its competingQuickTime for Windows and wanted promises from RealNetworks that itwouldn't share technologies with Microsoft competitors.
In its 89-page court filing, the government contended thatMicrosoft "set out to eliminate the potential threats posed byNetscape and Java." It said the company acted "at the specific andpointed direction of Microsoft CEO Bill Gates."
Gates, who was questioned by government lawyers two days lastweek, "displayed a particular failure of recollection at hisdeposition," the court filing said. Gates was scheduled for a thirdday of questioning Wednesday.
The Justice Department and the 20 states suing Microsoft urged thejudge to reject company's request to dismiss the most important partsof the pending antitrust case. The document was filed late Mondayand publicly released today.
The case goes to trial Sept. 23.
The latest filing by the government came in response to thecompany's earlier request for summary judgment. The governmentargued that ruling was only peripherally related to its pendingantitrust case.
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