Quotes and reaction from the appeals court's Microsoft ruling Thursday:
"The legal process can be hard on anyone who goes through it. The last four years have been challenging for all of us here at Microsoft, and for me personally. But despite the many twists and turns of the case, I have always had faith in our company, in our employees and in the magic of the software we're creating." _ Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
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"We recognize that as a successful company we have an important responsibility to the broader industry. We take that responsibility very seriously. And we will continue to work hard to provide great opportunity for our industry partners and our consumers." _ Gates.
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"I'm pleased to say the court unanimously found that Microsoft engaged in unlawful conduct to maintain its dominant position in the computer operating systems. This is a significant victory." _ U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.
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"Although we find no evidence of actual bias, we hold that the actions of the trial judge seriously tainted the proceedings before the District Court and called into question the integrity of the judicial process. ... The public cannot be expected to maintain confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the federal judiciary in the face of such conduct." _ U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
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"Our antitrust laws should not be used to hold our most successful companies back to give the competition a chance to catch up. That kind of tired economic thinking is exactly what our new economy does not need." _ House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas.
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"The court has provided a road map that will help high-tech firms stay on the right side of antitrust laws. This will help them push forward with innovations that maintain our leadership in information technology." _ Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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"This is a victory for creativity, for competition, for consumers and for the U.S. high-tech industry." _ Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
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"Today's ruling has no direct bearing on our success. We've been competing with Microsoft for five years and winning. We've never built our strategy around any legal or regulatory action." _ Eric Liu, vice president of corporate communications at RealNetworks.
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APTV 06-28-01 1439MDT
