The Microsoft Corp. antitrust case can be a little unsettling at times -- even if you have already settled. Having agreed to a truce in the four-year legal battle, nine of the states in the case now find themselves having to voice objections to Microsoft's latest legal maneuver, which discounts state authority in antitrust matters. Microsoft on Wednesday asked U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to dismiss the proposals of nine other states seeking stiffer sanctions against the company, arguing they have no right to interfere with the U.S. Justice Department's decision to forge a nationwide settlement. But the states that have settled with Microsoft -- including New York, Illinois and Michigan -- expressed concern with that argument in a footnote to a filing backing the settlement. "To assure no misapprehension, the settling states wish to state that they regard Microsoft's dismissal motion as without merit," the states said in their brief. Antitrust attorneys said on Friday they are not surprised by the footnote.
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