The Conclusions of Law
The Conclusions of Law
After Judge Jackson issued the Findings
of Fact, the next step in the legal proceedings was the Conclusions of Law. The
Conclusions of Law are based on the information contained in the Findings and
what was brought out during the case, and they describe how the actions of the
defendant are interpreted by the court—whether they are legal or not, and why.
Just as with the Findings of Fact, Microsoft got to propose their own conclusions of law, as did the government, to aid the judge in drawing up his own. Microsoft filed their proposed Conclusions of Law on January 18, 2000. In the document, Microsoft assumes that the Findings of Fact aren't flawed and present a reasonable picture of Microsoft's actions and how they affected the consumers. Microsoft does not believe the Findings do this, but their Conclusions show that even if they do present a reasonable picture, Microsoft believes the Findings do not constitute an antitrust violation.