Microsoft Settlement Talks to Begin Tuesday

Representatives of Microsoft Corp. and the Justice Department have been summoned to Chicago to begin settlement talks Tuesday under a federal judge in their landmark antitrust case, it was reported Thursday.

The mediator--Judge Richard Posner, who heads the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago--was expected to assess the chances of a settlement quickly, the New York Times said, quoting a person close to the case.

The source was quoted as saying that a settlement would most likely happen “by the end of January, or it won’t happen.”

The report said the meeting would involve lawyers from Microsoft, the Justice Department and 19 states involved in the antitrust case, one of the biggest of the century. The mediation talks are private.

Posner, a highly respected jurist, was appointed as mediator last week by U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who is presiding over the antitrust case.

The mediation offer came two weeks after Jackson, following a 76-day trial in Washington, D.C., found that Microsoft had used monopoly power to harm consumers, competitors and other companies.

Jackson has set Feb. 22 to hear oral arguments if no settlement is reached.