Microsoft claims the requested documents could aid its defense against the Commission's "statement of objections," and has not only tried to subpoena IBM but also other third parties in the case, such as Novell. But a federal court in Boston recently rejected Microsoft's Novell subpoena request as well.
"Microsoft hopes to discredit the reports on which the Commission relied by demonstrating that they 'were in whole or in part the result of efforts by IBM, a fierce Microsoft competitor,'" according to Thursday's order by Judge Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court in Southern New York.
Microsoft said it does not plan to appeal the judge's decision.
"The writing is clearly on the wall for these actions, and we are not pursuing them any further," said a Microsoft representative. "In the last few weeks, the situation has changed. We have received some clarity from the Commission and its monitoring trustee that has been very helpful. Our focus is on working constructively with them."
In denying Microsoft's subpoena request, McMahon noted the Commission has, or will be, in possession of all documents Microsoft is seeking and that the software giant should approach the Commission for those documents.
"A foreign tribunal has jurisdiction over those appearing before it, and can itself order them to produce the evidence," the judge stated in her order. "Microsoft must request the documents from the Commission, as opposed to requesting them directly from IBM....The relevant inquiry is whether the evidence is available to the foreign tribunal. In this case, it is."
The judge also noted that granting Microsoft's subpoena request would undermine a statute relating to sovereignty concerns involving U.S. government authorities and foreign courts.
"Microsoft's (subpoena) application constitutes a blatant end-run around 'foreign proof-gathering restrictions or other policies of a foreign country,'" the judge stated in her order.
And the court also found that Microsoft's subpoenas would be "unduly intrusive and burdensome."
Microsoft faces a much larger court challenge next week, when it appears before the Court of First Instance in Europe to appeal the Commission's historic 2004 order.
... have ruled against Microsoft in its efforts to obtain documents from its competitors and as this article states in part; "A foreign tribunal has jurisdiction over those appearing before it, and can itself order them to produce the evidence," the judge stated in her order. "Microsoft must request the documents from the Commission, as opposed to requesting them directly from IBM....The relevant inquiry is whether the evidence is available to the foreign tribunal. In this case, it is." one question is this, will US law makers sit idly by were this case one in which a number of "elite" military commanders who were being tortured by a foreign government - say IRAQ or IRAN; or, is it that the US Pentagon would have been busy with retaliatory measures. I for one would not wish to share my "server" security features and capabilities with any TOM, DICK, or HARRY when it comes to the the question of "NATIONAL SECURITY" when it can be applied to scenarios such as one related to USAF SYSTEM COMMAND.. Just how much do these learned US JUDGES know what are in the minds America's enemies! Is the Microsoft Corporation one of them? When young US and other nationals are dying and putting their lives on the line there are others in a certain part of the world who think that Microsoft's money and technological know-how (developed by over-worked American labor) should help pay for their annual "two months" vacation and protest against new laws that are being implemented to get them to work more productively and efficiently.
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