| 
 Microsoft returns to court on Monday for what could be the climactic showdown 
to its nearly 4-year-old antitrust case. The software giant will pit its 
ingenuity and resources against the combined forces of nine states and the 
District of Columbia, as the combatants engage in a contest that could determine 
a final remedy for Microsoft's antitrust violations. Monday marks the beginning 
of potentially eight weeks or more before a federal judge, as testimony resumes 
for the first time since the main trial's nearly 80 days in court
concluded in September 
1999. 
         |