IP: Judge Appoints Mediator in Microsoft Case

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

http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/19micr.html

Judge Appoints Mediator in Microsoft Case
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- The judge in the Microsoft antitrust trial appointed a 
mediator on Friday to oversee "voluntary" settlement talks between the 
government and the software giant. The surprise move dramatically increases 
chances for an out-of-court agreement.
Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson appointed Richard Posner, the widely 
respected chief judge for the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. 
Jackson left it up to Posner to schedule any talks.


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Jackson, who ruled two weeks ago that Microsoft is a monopoly that stifled 
competition and hurt consumers, has encouraged the two sides to settle. He 
structured the verdict to come in two phases in an apparent effort to push 
lawyers toward the bargaining table.