The Justice Department announced this morning that it would not seek a court order to break up Microsoft . It also will not pursue the bundling issues in its antitrust case against the software giant. This news comes as no surprise, at least not to investors, as the price of Microsoft stock was down along with the rest of the Nasdaq Composite. But the Justice Department's announcement raises anew the question: What will the government do given the court findings that Microsoft has illegally maintained its monopoly of the operating system (OS) market? This question has barely been addressed by the parties in the case, which include 18 states as well as the Justice Department and Microsoft itself. But it comes to the forefront now as parties prepare for a status conference before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Sept. 14. In its statement, the Justice Department says only that it wants to obtain "prompt, effective and certain relief for consumers." That's what everyone claims to want. But what is it?
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