Industry's biggest trade body lines up against MS

MS on Trial Microsoft objections have been rolled over by the Software and Information Industries Association, which last week voted to file an amicus curiae brief on the side of the DoJ. Microsoft is the largest contributor to the Association, which itself is the computer industry's largest trade body. Somewhat considerably larger than the Association for Competitive Technology, which the other day said it would be filing on Microsoft's behalf. The antitrust action against Microsoft has been a running sore for the SIIA, because although its board tends to favour coming down hard on Microsoft, there is some support for the Redmond view that it shouldn't be meddling in stuff that doesn't concern it. And of course there's also the worry that one day Microsoft might reckon it's dumb to carry on signing cheques to an organisation that keeps beating it up (not an unreasonable attitude to take, really), so there's the rent to consider. US reports speak of ten members of the 19 strong board abstaining in the vote, so while the Jacobins might have won the vote, we're not entirely talking unanimity here. The Association will file its brief today, so watch for responses from Outraged of Redmond later. ® See also: MS backed trade group backs MS with trial brief