LXer: Microsoft Finds Legal Defender in Justice Dept.

LXer · 06-10-2007, 07:46 AM

Published at LXer:

Thomas O. Barnett, top Justice Department antitrust official and former partner at a law firm that representing Microsoft in antitrust disputes, has recently rejected a complaint by Google and is urging state prosecutors to do the same.[I would love to know how many public attorneys used to work for Microsoft.. - Scott]

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Cogar · 06-10-2007, 06:26 PM

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Nearly a decade after the government began its landmark effort to break up Microsoft, the Bush administration has sharply changed course by repeatedly defending the company both in the United States and abroad against accusations of anticompetitive conduct, including the recent rejection of a complaint by Google.

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A big factor has been the Bush administration’s hands-off approach to business regulation. For its part, Microsoft, which spent more than $55 million on lobbying activities in Washington from 2000 to 2006 and substantially more on lawyers, has become a more effective lobbying organization.

It appears that this administration is for sale to the highest bidder.