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Stolen Research (9/30/98)
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The big "Redmond Justice" trial creeps ever closer-- can't you just smell it? In a mere two weeks (barring unforeseen delays, of course, but when does that ever happen in a lawsuit?), Microsoft and the Justice Department will finally square off in court to resolve the issue of Microsoft's alleged anticompetitive business practices. And you can tell that the showdown's getting close, because subpoenas are flying every which way. The most interesting one involves Microsoft's desperate attempt to secure some confidential taped interviews with Netscape executives from a couple of MIT and Harvard professors. TechWeb's got the sordid details.
Apparently professors David Yoffie and Michael Cusumano just finished writing a book on Netscape called Competing in Internet Time, due out soon. For this book, they conducted interviews with several Netscape employees in order to get a picture of Netscape's successes and blunders during its early days. Information from these candid conversations appeared in early pre-print excerpts of the book, and that prompted Microsoft to subpoena the complete interview tapes, on the basis that they presumably contain evidence that Netscape's woes are caused by Netscape's mistakes-- not Microsoft's allegedly anticompetitive behavior.
Needless to say, the professors (with the full legal support of their respective universities) are fighting the subpoenas tooth and nail, citing that the interviews were conducted under "strict agreements of confidentiality." Their lawyers claim that Microsoft's subpoenas therefore violate their First Amendments rights and their rights to academic freedom. It's up to the court to decide whether or not Microsoft can get its hands on the private tapes, and the clock's ticking...
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SceneLink (1047)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 9/30/98 episode: September 30, 1998: So just what would happen if Motorola suddenly decided to stop making PowerPC's? We may not have to wonder much longer... Meanwhile, Microsoft is frantically trying to prepare for its upcoming "Redmond Justice" court date by strongarming a couple of professors into turning over some confidential Netscape interviews, and Steve Jobs sheds his secret identity to reveal his alter ego, "Internet Man..."
Other scenes from that episode: 1046: Living on the Edge (9/30/98) There goes Robert Morgan, making people nervous again-- but we really can't fault him this time, because the information he's relating is appearing via other sources, as well. So as creepy as it sounds, we may well be facing a serious shake-up in Macland as Motorola prepares for a "major revamp" of its Semiconductor Products Sector... 1048: It's... Internet Man! (9/30/98) Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause, if you will, for this year's "Internet Man of the Year:" Steven P. Jobs. Yessiree, Apple's interim head honcho recently received the award from the SkyNet Internet Collective for his "outstanding achievements in the area of Information Technology and Product Innovation for the Internet."...
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