Others talked along the lines of Blumenthal, although none went as far. Microsoft has denied it is a monopoly. But that is not convincing to the attorneys general. States point to tobacco Some analysts have suggested the states lack the legal and intellectual resources to take on Microsoft and that even the federal government will have an uphill battle. But Blumenthal said Microsoft could get a surprise.
Tobacco is a prime example, with exactly the same kind of attitude on the part of our adversaries.
Blumenthal said the Justice Department at first stayed away from the tobacco case and that the states had to lead the way. But at this point, he said, the states have an excellent relationship with Justice Department attorneys. Others involved in the case in addition to Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa are California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The states' move follows action by the Justice Department, which went to court last year against Microsoft, charging it had violated a 1995 agreement that was supposed to help increase competition in the software industry. A federal appeals court heard an appeal on several aspects of that case last week.