A. Bob Herbold, the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Microsoft, said that the judge’s ruling this week is just a first step in the process that is just getting under way.
B. Microsoft’s competitors know that the company in fact has a referee starting directly over the shoulder every time it moves on a playing field.
C. What’s more, Microsoft erected the barriers to keep others out of the marketplace.
D. The Justice Department’s top anti-trust prosecutor says this week that the government is looking at a full range of remedies.
E. Jackson said that the company took that additional profit and invested it not in its own products but in efforts to keep other companies out of various software markets.
F. Meanwhile Bill Gates, in a full-page advertisement published in the Washington Post and addressed to the company’s customers, partners and shareholders, commented on Friday’s ruling.
G. He claimed that Microsoft is committed to resolving this matter in a fair and responsible manner, while ensuring that the fundamental principles of consumer benefit and innovation are protected.