FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	AT

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2004	(202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV	TDD (202) 514-1888

STATEMENT BY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL R. HEWITT PATE

REGARDING MICROSOFT SETTLEMENT

U.S. Court of Appeals Finds Microsoft Settlement in the Public Interest

WASHINGTON, D.C. – R. Hewitt Pate, Assistant Attorney General of the Department's Antitrust Division, made the following statement today after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued its decision regarding the government's settlement in the Microsoft case:

"We are pleased that the Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court's finding that the Department's settlement with Microsoft is in the public interest. This is a resounding victory for the Justice Department and American consumers. The Court addressed the merits of every argument raised against the Department's remedy by two industry groups and the sole remaining state plaintiff (Massachusetts), and it clearly and thoroughly rejected all of them. The Court's forceful decision confirms what the Department has been saying all along – our settlement protects the public by providing a full and effective remedy for Microsoft's anticompetitive conduct. The decision reflects the hard work of many Antitrust Division professionals, the sound leadership of former Assistant Attorney General Charles A. James, Jr., who crafted the settlement, and the superb legal skills of former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Deborah P. Majoras, who worked tirelessly on this case and argued the appeal for the government. The Division's attorneys and economists will continue to monitor closely Microsoft's compliance with the settlement."

###

04-462