So there it goes: the final courtroom arguments in the "Redmond Justice" trial. Wave bye-bye, because it's all downhill from here. TechWeb has a nice summary of the day's proceedings, including the statements made where the real drama takes place-- on the courthouse steps. There were no big surprises and no twists and turns; the government's Joel Klein made his requisite call for "competition on the merits" and "drastic and far-reaching" remedies, while Microsoft's senior veep for law Bill Neukom trotted out that tired old saw about how the government "seems to want to rewrite the antitrust laws in a way which would slow innovation, raise prices, and harm consumers in this country." (Yeah, Bill, of course; that's exactly what they're trying to do. Didn't you get the memo?)

As for what happened during the final arguments themselves, well, The Register has the goods. Apparently in light of Jackson's findings of fact which firmly established that Microsoft wields monopoly power, the company's legal eagles have tried a different approach: a copyright defense. The argument goes something like this; the entire "Windows experience" is protected by the copyright held for the operating system, so the government can't prevent the company from, say, adding Internet Explorer, or forcing computer manufacturers not to install competing software on the desktop, etc. Reportedly Jackson pretty much cut that argument short, though, when he stated, "copyright does not protect the conduct with which your company is charged." So much for last-ditch efforts.

Anyway, apparently Judge Jackson's verdict is now a mere "four to six weeks" away, so if Microsoft's going to settle, the clock is ticking. And given that Judge Jackson actually made a reference to John D. Rockefeller during the proceedings (Standard Oil, anyone?), we have to say, Microsoft is looking ripe for a takedown. Does anyone happen to know the Vegas odds on the trial outcome? Because the only sounder investment than Apple stock these days would seem to be a bet on Microsoft's loss in this trial...