Sun Microsystems Inc. said on Friday it might sue rival Microsoft Corp, since it believed an anti-trust settlement between the federal government and the software maker would not protect competitors. Sun's top lawyer, General Counsel Mike Morris, told Reuters Microsoft would still be able to hurt competitors under a deal struck with the U.S. Department of Justice. "It is not even weak. It is totally ineffectual," Morris said of the settlement. "There are all sorts of outs and loopholes and vagaries and lack of definitions here." The deal, which must be endorsed by a federal judge, intends to curb Microsoft's powers by setting restrictions on how it treats competitors, and it avoids the breakup a court once recommended. Microsoft has stopped short of admitting it broke the law but said on Friday the deal gave it new responsibilities. Morris said Sun would now consider a civil suit against Microsoft. "I can't tell you what we will do, but I can assure you that we will now move to active consideration and decision about what to do," he said.
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