Ballmer ready to talk to US government

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has told European business leaders that he would be happy to resume talks with the US government to settle the anti-trust dispute.

Ballmer made his statement at last week's European Business Summit, which took place shortly after Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ordered that Microsoft be split in two.

"We would love to settle this case," he told an audience of executives in Brussels. "We were unable to in the last round of discussions."

In April, Microsoft held last-minute talks with the US government in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but these were abandoned when the two parties failed to find any common ground.

The European Union is conducting its own investigation into the European operations of Microsoft, with a view to launching its own anti-trust prosecution, though events in the US are likely to affect any decision.

Following last Wednesday's ruling, Joel Klein, head of the US Department of Justice's anti-trust division, said he was 'prepared to engage in meaningful settlement negotiations' with Microsoft.

Ballmer attacked Jackson's decision, saying: "The judgment would severely restrict innovation, and increase the price for software and computers worldwide."

"We believe there were errors of law; that the judge may not have understood our arguments, so we are planning an appeal."

The comments were made during Ballmer's week-long tour of Europe, where he also visited the UK, the Netherlands, and Norway.

Ballmer stressed that innovative companies need help from governments to set the right regulatory environment, protect intellectual property and address the European skills gap.

Reporting by vnunet.com