IP: Appraising Microsoft and Its Global Strategy

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

>          Appraising Microsoft and Its Global Strategy
>                     Conference sponsored by 
>              Ralph Nader and Essential Information
>                     November 13 & 14, 1997
>                       Omni Shoreham Hotel
>                        Washington, D.C.
>
>          http://www.appraising-microsoft.org
>
> This is an invitation to a November 13 and 14 
> conference on Microsoft's Global Strategy, to be held in 
> Washington, DC at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
>
> Over the past several weeks the computer world has been 
> shaken by a series of events concerning Microsoft's role in 
> the PC software market.  The United States Department of 
> Justice (DOJ) has charged Microsoft with anticompetitive 
> actions relating to the Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE). 
> Several state attorneys generals and antitrust authorities 
> in the European Community and Japan have announced 
> investigations into a wide range of alleged anticompetitive 
> practices by Microsoft.  On October 27, 1997 more than 1,500 
> consumers, professors, businesses and computer professionals 
> asked the DOJ to stop Microsoft from using anticompetitive 
> practices to monopolize the browser market. Sun Microsystems 
> and Microsoft are suing each other over who will control the 
> future of Java, a computer language Sun has promoted as a 
> "write once run everywhere" software development platform 
> that would vastly enhance competition with the PC industry.
>
> In addition to the timely issues concerning Internet 
> browsers, the future of Java and open standards for Internet 
> publishing, there are a wide range of concerns about 
> Microsoft's expanding monopoly in key sectors of the PC 
> software industry, and what this means for the future of 
> electronic commerce and Internet communications.  These 
> concerns are deepened by Microsoft's announcements that it 
> will launch a wide range of new businesses, in fields such 
> as online banking, travel services and classified 
> advertisements -- to mention only a few.
>
> On November 13 and 14, Essential Information will host 
> a two day conference to examine "Microsoft's Global 
> Strategy."  This event will feature presentations from a 
> dazzling array of leading experts on Microsoft, Java, 
> Internet standard setting and electronic commerce.
>
> The conference is sponsored by Essential Information, a 
> non-profit organization.  There is a fee to cover conference 
> expenses.  However, no one who wants to attend should be 
> discouraged by the fee alone.  Persons may contact Donna 
> Colvin (dcolvin () essential org, fax 202.234.5176) to request 
> full or partial scholarships.  More information about the 
> Conference is on the Web at http://www.appraising-
> microsoft.org (no period).
>
>
>
> Conference Speakers Include:
>
> Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems, http://www.sun.com/ 
>
> Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate 
>
> Samuel Goodhope, Special Assistant, Attorney General, State 
>     of Texas
>
> John Perry Barlow, lyricist for the Grateful Dead, co-
>     founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a 
>     member of The WELL Board of Directors.  
>     http://www.eff.org/~barlow/
>
> Bryan Sparks, CEO Caldera, Inc., http://www.Caldera.com/ 
>
> Andrew Schulman, Consulting Editor, O'Reilly and Associates, 
>     Author of Unauthorized Windows 95, 
>     http://www.sonic.net/~undoc/
>
> Christine Varney, Former Member of the Federal Trade 
>     Commission, now with Hogan and Hartson
>
> Garth Saloner, Robert A. Magowan Professor of Strategic 
>     Management and Economics, Stanford Graduate School of 
>     Business ,
>     http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~saloner/home.html
>
> Ed Black, President, Computers and Communications Industry 
>     Association, http://www.ccianet.org
>
> Gary L. Reback, the well know Silicon Valley antitrust and 
>     intellectual property lawyer, with Wilson, Sonsini, 
>     Goodrich & Rosati, http://www.wsgr.com/
>
> Rick Ross, founder of Java Lobby, http://www.javalobby.org 
>
> Roberta Katz, General Counsel for Netscape Communications, 
>     http://www.netscape.com
>
> Audrie Krause, Director, NetAction, http://www.netacton.org
>
> Steve Susman, a principle of Susman and Godfrey, 
>     http://www.susmangodfrey.com 
>
> Lloyd Constantine, Constantine and Partners.
>
> Morgan Chu, Partner, Irell & Manella 
>
> Bill Randle, Vice President, Huntington Bancshares, 
>     http://www.hunington.com
>
> Philip Monego, NetChannel CEO and President, 
>     http://www.netchannel.net/
>
> Graham Lea, Principal Analyst, Heterodox (London), and 
>     editor, Microsoft Monitor, expert in European antitrust 
>     efforts in consumer software (heterodox () compuserve com)
>
> Steve Hill, Esq., Snow Christensen and Martineau. 
>
> Bill Wendel, The Real Estate Cafe, 
>     http://www.realestatecafe.com/
>
> Daniel Nachbar, Public Software Institute, 
>     http://www.public-software.org
>
> John Dodge, Columnist, PC Week Online, Boston Globe
>
> Wendy Goldman Rohm, wendyrohm () compuserve com, author of 
>     several articles and an upcoming book about Microsoft.
>
> James Love, Director, Consumer Project on Technology, 
>     http://www.cptech.org
>
> Note:  Bill Gates from Microsoft declined to attend.  
> Microsoft is invited to suggest other speakers to 
> present the Microsoft views.
>
>
>     For more information about attending the conference, 
>     contact Donna Colvin, Essential Information, at 
>     202.387.8030, fax 202.234.5176, dcolvin () essential org, 
>     or see the conference web page at 
>     http://www.appraising-microsoft.org for updates of the 
>     program.
>
> -- 
> James Love | Center for Study of Responsive Law
> P.O. Box 19367 | Washington, DC 20036 | http://www.cptech.org
> voice 202.387.8030 | fax 202.234.5176 | love () cptech org








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"Photons have neither morals nor visas"  --  Dave Farber 1994
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