Here are some interesting date in M$'s history...
1990
June - Federal Trade Commission (FTC) secretly investigates possible collusion between Microsoft and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM - news).
1993
Feb. 5 - FTC takes no action against Microsoft after 2-2 vote of its commissioners.
Aug. 21 - U.S. Justice Department takes over Microsoft
investigation.
1994
July 15 - Microsoft and Justice Department sign agreement
that Microsoft cannot require computer makers that license its Windows operating system to also license any other software product, but Microsoft may develop "integrated products."
October - Microsoft announces proposed $1.5 billion acquisition of Intuit Inc., maker of Quicken personal finance software.
1995
Feb. 14 - U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin throws out Justice Department agreement as too easy on Microsoft.
April - Microsoft drops Intuit acquisition in face of separate Justice Department lawsuit.
June 16 - Appeals court overturns Sporkin ruling at joint request of Microsoft and Justice Department; case is transferred to U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson.
Aug. 21 - Judge Jackson approves Microsoft-Justice Department agreement.
1996
September - Government investigates possible violation of agreement by Microsoft.
1997
Oct. 20 - Justice Department asks Judge Jackson to fine Microsoft $1 million a day for allegedly violating the agreement by bundling Internet Explorer browser with Windows 95 operating system. Microsoft says browser is part of the operating system.
Dec. 11 - Judge Jackson issues preliminary injunction against Microsoft, requires unbundling of Web browser from operating system; appoints ``special master'' to advise him on computers and the law.
Dec. 16 - Microsoft appeals Judge Jackson's decision, offers computer makers a version of Windows 95 without Internet Explorer. A day later, Justice Department asks Judge Jackson to hold Microsoft in contempt for failing to obey order.
1998
Jan. 16 - Microsoft takes appointment of special master to U.S. Court of Appeals.
Jan. 22 - Facing certain contempt citation, Microsoft signs agreement giving computer makers freedom to install Windows 95 without Internet Explorer icon.
Feb. 2 - Appeals Court halts special master proceedings.
May 12 - Appeals Court rules that Judge Jackson's injunction against Microsoft should not apply to Windows 98, allowing Microsoft to proceed with launch of new product.
May 18 - Justice Department, 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia file major new antitrust cases alleging Microsoft abused its market power to thwart competition.
Sept. 14 - Judge Jackson rejects Microsoft motion for summary judgment to end the case.
Oct. 19 - Microsoft antitrust trial begins before Judge Jackson.
Dec. 7 - South Carolina withdraws, leaving 19 states supporting the federal government.
1999
Feb. 16 - Microsoft trial first phase recesses after hearing 12 witnesses from each side and videotaped testimony, including that by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
June 7 - IBM's Barry Norris becomes first computer company executive to testify in court against Microsoft.
June 24 - Microsoft trial testimony ends.
Nov. 5 - Judge Jackson finds Microsoft has monopoly power in market for personal computer operating systems and used it to harm consumers, computer makers and others.
Nov. 19 - Jackson announces appointment of Judge Richard Posner, head of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago, as mediator in effort to settle case.
Dec. 6 - Justice Department and 19 states file papers arguing Microsoft violated antitrust laws in at least four ways.
2000
Jan. 13 - Gates steps down as Microsoft chief executive, handing the mantle to Steve Ballmer.
April 1 - Judge Posner announces mediation talks have failed.
April 3 - Judge Jackson rules Microsoft broke U.S. antitrust law by abusing its monopoly power in personal computer operating systems.
April 28 - Justice Department and 17 states ask court to split Microsoft in two.
May 10 - Microsoft asks judge to reject proposal to split company, proposes lesser remedies.
May 24 - Judge Jackson holds one-day hearing on remedies, rejects Microsoft call for extensive further testimony, asks government for minor revisions to breakup proposal.
June 5 - Government files slightly revised breakup plan with the court, incorporating only minor changes proposed by Microsoft.
June 7 - Judge Jackson orders Microsoft split in two, one company to encompass its software and online businesses and the second to develop and sell operating systems, but stays that part of order until appeals are completed. The judge also imposes restrictions on the company's business conduct, including giving outside software developers greater access to the Windows source code.
June 20 - Judge Jackson sends Microsoft appeal directly to Supreme Court and suspends the business restrictions on the company that were due to go into effect Sept. 5.
July 25 - Microsoft asks Supreme Court to send case down to appeals court.
Aug. 15 - U.S. urges Supreme Court to consider Microsoft's appeal of antitrust violations on an expedited basis, bypassing the appellate court.
Sept. 26 - Supreme Court orders that Microsoft's appeal of the antitrust violations should first be heard by a lower appellate court. Justice Stephen Breyer dissents.
Nov. 27 - Microsoft files brief with U.S. Court of Appeals saying the lower court's breakup order is extreme and the trial proceedings were ``infected with error.'' Company denies holding a monopoly and says it competed legally.
2001
Jan. 12 - Justice Department and the states send a written brief urging the appeals court to uphold findings that Microsoft broke federal antitrust laws and should be split in two to prevent future violations.
Jan. 29 - Microsoft replies in final papers that its behavior has been lawful and the trial court's order to split up the company was not justified.
Feb. 26-27 - Appeal court judges grill lawyers for both Microsoft and the government; their harshest remarks are directed against the government's case and out-of-court comments by Judge Jackson.
June 28 - U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reverses proposed breakup of Microsoft and overturns the ruling that the company tried to monopolize the market for Internet browsers. Appeals court also upholds the ruling that company illegally used its monopoly in the Windows operating system and orders a new lower court judge to look at whether Microsoft illegally tied its Internet browser to Windows.
Aug. 29 - The new judge assigned to handle the Microsoft case, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, orders the parties to report on the remaining issues in the legal battle.
Sept. 6 - Justice Department says it no longer seeks the breakup of Microsoft Corp. and wants to find a quick remedy in the antitrust case. Department says it will not pursue unresolved claim that Microsoft illegally tied its Internet Explorer browser to its Windows operating system.
Sept. 28 - Judge Kollar-Kotelly orders Microsoft and the government to enter round-the-clock talks to settle the antitrust case, sets a deadline of Nov. 2. Judge also sets March 2002 hearings on possible sanctions to apply to Microsoft if no settlement is reached.
Oct. 9 - U.S. Supreme Court rejects Microsoft's request to overturn a ruling that the company violated antitrust laws.
Oct. 12 - Boston University law professor Eric Green is appointed by court to mediate a possible settlement between Microsoft, the government and states' attorneys general.
Nov. 2 - Justice Department and Microsoft agree to settlement that calls for Microsoft to give computer makers more flexibility in putting non-Microsoft software on computers and requires Microsoft to share the inner workings of Windows with other software developers.
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