The judge in the Microsoft antitrust case Thursday gave the parties until Wednesday to file additional legal arguments before he rules on government proposals to break up the software giant into competing companies. U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, acting after a conference call, gave the Justice Department and state governments until Monday morning to respond to a company court filing this week that attacked the government’s plan to break Microsoft into two companies. The Redmond, Wash., company would have until Wednesday morning to respond. In its filings, Microsoft suggested changes to the government proposal. The company is seeking a ruling that would allow more time before a possible breakup and would keep one of the two new companies away from the watchful eye of the Justice Department. Company officials said the additional time was sought by the government to address issues brought up in Wednesday’s Microsoft filing, such as how to deal with foreign governments and how tax issues should be handled in a breakup — subjects not mentioned in the revised plan from the Justice Department. Jackson ruled April 3 that Microsoft had engaged illegally in anticompetitive marketing practices.
