The case revolves around two separate issues: Microsoft's bundling of its Media Player into Windows, and whether the company must disclose secret software protocols to rivals that dictate how programs interact with Windows network servers. Here's a look at the arguments both sides are likely to use to advance their positions.
The crux of Microsoft's legal position in the Media Player portion of the case, which will occur on the first two days of the hearing, is that the commission was wrong to declare that PC operating systems and media players are separate products and markets. Though the commission focused on the Media Player bundled into Windows in the late 1990s, Microsoft points out that it has included the ability to play streaming audio files in Windows since 1992 -- years before rival RealNetworks was even founded (by former Microsoft executive Rob Glaser). What's more, there remains a market for non-Microsoft media players, as evidenced by the soaring success of Apple's (AAPL) iPod and iTunes Music Store.
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