State attorneys general may file a lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. that accuses the software giant of anti-competitive business practices, a person familiar with the case said.
A working group of 11 states, including Illinois, anticipates filing a suit against the Redmond, Wash.-based company before May 15, the source said.
Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan, without commenting on the possible suit, said: “We have communicated openly with the state working group and believe once they review all of the facts they’ll see Microsoft is competing fairly.”
The states’ lawsuit would accuse Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, of using monopoly power in the market for computer operating systems to illegally gain a chokehold in other markets, the source said.
The suit would also charge Microsoft with violating antitrust laws by unfairly bundling its Windows operating system with its Internet Explorer browser in an effort to stave off competition to its dominance in the market for computer operating systems, the source said.
