Apparently the Department of Justice finds Bill Gates' statements during his "Redmond Justice" deposition to be somewhat incriminating. A recent plot twist revealed Microsoft's request to have the entire case dismissed, on the basis of its appellate court victory which overturned last December's infamous preliminary injunction. Since the appeals court ruling essentially gave them the right to tie Internet Explorer to Windows, they are arguing that the government now has no case.

But the DoJ is fighting back. Despite Gates' best Ollie North impersonation during last week's deposition ("Mr. Gates, what is your relationship with the software company Microsoft?" "I don't recall-- I'd have to see the company in question before answering."), the government apparently believes that at least least some of what they could squeeze out of him is incriminating enough to warrant proceeding with the case. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the government has filed a "lengthy document" that quotes Gates' deposition to support its request that Microsoft's move for dismissal be rejected. Meanwhile, the Unsinkable Billy Gates is slotted for a third day of depositions on Wednesday, because he was apparently so "argumentative" that the DoJ was unable to get all of their questions answered last week. Or is the government simply getting desperate to dig up some solid evidence of wrongdoing, with the big trial looming only a few weeks away?

That's right-- the blockbuster season premiere of "Redmond Justice" is currently scheduled for September 23rd. Assuming that the DoJ is able to prevent the case from being dismissed outright, we should have some pretty juicy courtroom drama brewing for the new fall season. Of course, if the case is dismissed, it means a premature cancellation of such a promising new show...