AOL Barred From Microsoft Filing

By James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday , November 4, 2000 ; Page E02

URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/specials/microsofttrial/A11532-2000Nov3.html

A federal appeals court yesterday denied a request by America Online Inc. and three computer trade groups to file separate friend-of-the-court briefs in the Microsoft antitrust appeal.

However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia approved separate filings by an obscure pro-Microsoft group called the Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism and by a man who claims to have a patent pending on an "economic invention."

AOL, the world's largest Internet service provider, and the trade groups--the Computer & Communications Industry Association, the Software & Information Industry Association and ProComp--had sought permission to file independent briefs because they believed they had unique viewpoints. Microsoft Corp. had asked the court to ban AOL and the groups from filing briefs or force them to file a joint brief.

Microsoft is appealing a district court order that it violated antitrust law and should be broken into two companies. Arguments are set for February.

In addition to briefs from the Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism and Carl Lundgren, who claims to have an invention that would prevent collusion, the court also permitted a brief to be filed by Lee Hollaar, a University of Utah computer scientist.