Gates to Take Stand Monday

Microsoft Corp. Monday will enter the second week of its courtroom defense against the group of states that have proposed stiff penalties against the software giant, with witnesses including its Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Bill Gates.

“We plan on calling Mr. Gates to testify on Monday, April 22,” a Microsoft statement said. “He will be the eighth Microsoft witness and will take the stand in the sixth week of the trial.

“Mr. Gates will testify on the evolution of the PC ecosystem and Microsofts role in fostering innovation in the PC industry,” the statement said. “He will also testify on how the remedies proposed by the non-settling states would imperil not only Microsofts business, but also cause harm to the PC industry and to consumers.”

“Bill Gates is glad to have the opportunity to testify in the remedy proceedings,” the statement continued. “He will address the evolution of the PC industry and the critical role Microsoft, PC manufacturers and independent software vendors have played in making computing accessible to consumers and making technology an engine for economic growth. Like other Microsoft witnesses, including representatives from many sectors of the PC ecosystem, he will speak to the potential harm to consumers and the industry posed by the non-settling states remedy proposals.”

In addition to Gates, Microsoft witnesses next week are expected to include Chris Jones, vice president of the Windows Client Team, and Rob Short, vice president of the Windows Base operating system kernel, and additional witnesses from the high-tech industry, Microsoft said.

David Cole, Microsofts senior vice president of MSN and personal services, will continue on the witness stand in defense of the company he has been with for more than 15 years. Cole spent about 30 minutes on the stand Thursday before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly called off the proceedings for the day.

Cole spent his brief time on the stand sparring with John Schmidtlein, an attorney for the states, over Microsofts plans for private user information from its Passport service.