IP: from the nyt on trial

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

Browsing Software Distinct From Operating System Says Expert 

By JOEL BRINKLEY

WASHINGTON -- A lawyer for the Microsoft Corporation failed Wednesday to shake a computer-science expert from his argument that Internet software should not be included as part of Microsoft's Windows operating system. 

Central to the Government's antitrust suit against Microsoft is the charge that the company bundled Internet browser software with Windows largely as a tactic to put competitors at a disadvantage. 

"In general, designers have a huge amount of flexibility in how to package these files, the same way you have a large amount of flexibility in how you put things in a grocery bag, as long as you don't crush stuff," said David J. Farber, a senior computer-science professor at the University of Pennsylvania who is a Government witness. "Software is infinitely malleable." 

for more see

http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/12/biztech/articles/09soft.html