Lining Up Against Microsoft

One of the leading U.S. software associations that counts Microsoft Corp. as its biggest member has been recruited by the Justice Department to take the government’s side in its antitrust battle with the software giant, sources said. The federal government has recruited the Software Information Industry Assn., a Washington-based trade group, to join in a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that Microsoft broke antitrust laws, sources said. Ken Wasch, president of SIIA, could not be reached for comment to confirm the association’s role in the government’s legal brief. State and federal officials also could not be reached. Both sides will submit amicus briefs today in preparation for closing legal arguments set for Feb. 22 in U.S. District Court.