IP: Text of a letter from 26 executives of the nation's largest

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

[ I agree with them completely. BTW on what grounds does AP copyright a
letter sent to the Hovernment -- see end of mail djf]


Text of a letter from 26 executives of the nation's largest high tech
companies asking the Justice Department not to interfere with Microsoft
Corp.'s planned introduction of Windows 98 operating software:


May 1, 1998 Web posted at: 11:46 a.m. EDT (1546 GMT)


We are writing to express our strongest possible concern that the release
of Windows 98 would be enjoined by government antitrust litigation. We
represent PC industry companies employing hundreds of thousands of American
workers. Our success depends on the freedom of Microsoft and the rest of
America's personal computer industry to create new and innovative products.
While we do not here express an opinion on the merits of any investigation
of Microsoft, we respectfully urge you not to take any action that might
delay or block the release of Windows 98.


We -- and many other companies in the PC industry -- have spent millions of
dollars developing, marketing and promoting products and services that
depend on the on-time launch of Windows 98. The consumer PC business is a
seasonal one, and any delay to Windows 98 will undermine our ability to
include these products and services in the "back-to-school" and holiday
demand -- traditionally the industry's strongest sales seasons.


The direct effect on the U.S. economy of a delay to Windows 98 would be
considerable.


More than 2 million Americans, for instance, develop software that runs on
Windows, while a similar number work in the computer services industry.
Millions more work in industries creating new hardware devices, including
many that Windows 98 supports for the first time.


But any action against Windows 98 would also have a broader impact.


Businesses would be unable to reap the productivity gains promised by a new
generation of software and PCs working in tandem. Consumers, deprived of
the right to buy the latest innovative PC operating system -- and therefore
the reason to buy new devices and software that work with it -- would keep
their cash in their pocketbooks. Interfering with the release of Windows 98
would drag down the entire industry's efforts to deliver value to customers
and returns to shareholders.


Ours is one of the most innovative, competitive and productive industries
in the world. The pace at which new products are launched is breathtaking:
New competitors arrive on the scene every day; prices continue to fall. Few
industries have come so far, so fast, or have produced so many benefits for
consumers and the economy as a whole.


Government intervention into the launch of Windows 98 would endanger what
we have all worked for -- and harm consumers and the economy, too.


Copyright 1998   The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.