Google claims against Microsoft should go to Justice, judge says

A U.S. judge rebuffed complaints by Google Inc., owner of the world's most widely used Internet search engine, that Microsoft Corp. isn't doing enough to make its new operating system more accommodating to rivals.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who oversees the 2001 settlement of the federal government's antitrust suit against Microsoft, told Google's lawyers to take their complaints to the Justice Department. The judge said she will rely on U.S. government lawyers and state attorneys general to tell her if the company isn't meeting its obligations.

And government lawyers reiterated that they're satisfied with a compromise reached last week.
In a court filing Monday, Google said changes announced last week may not go far enough to address its complaints that Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system hinders Google's desktop search engine. The changes resulted from a compromise between Microsoft and state and federal antitrust officials involved in the case.

Google argued that Microsoft's current approach to Windows Vista violates an agreement that bars it from impeding rival desktop software.

Kollar-Kotelly didn't officially rule on Google's request, but her comments highlighted the challenge Google faces in seeking to have its position considered directly by the court.

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