Microsoft Corp. has expressed concerns about a technology tutorial session to be organized for the U.S. Court of Appeals in preparation for its upcoming appeal in the ongoing anti-trust case with the U.S. government. In a filing Wednesday the company expressed “certain concerns about the conduct of the session” in a response to an Oct. 18 order issued by the court.
The court’s order notified Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Justice that it wants to bring in Michael Hites, chief technology officer at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, to conduct “a review session on the fundamentals of automation.” The judges proposed a Nov. 14 date for the hearing.
In its response to the court, Microsoft questioned Hites’ suitability for the task. Though Hites holds a doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Illinois Technology Institute and has worked there since 1996, Microsoft feels “it is not apparent from Dr. Hites’ resume what knowledge or experience he has with personal computer operating systems.”
As a result, the software company requested that the appeals court provide “the complete substantive content of his presentation, as opposed to a general outline of topics to be covered, and that they be shown all of the supplemental materials Dr. Hites intends to provide the Court,” at a review meeting that is to be held before the hearing.
Microsoft, in Redmond, Wash., can be reached at can be reached at http://www.microsoft.com/.