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
>
>








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