A district court judge in Iowa has ordered Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer to testify in person at a trial that starts in the US state later this month.
The two executives already were on the witness list to appear at the trial, but the ruling means they'll likely travel to Iowa earlier in the trial to face direct questioning by the plaintiffs' attorney. Without the ruling, they may have appeared later to answer cross-examination questions by the plaintiffs.
The earliest they likely will be called is January or February.
The company is facing a class-action antitrust lawsuit, which seeks up to US$450 million for people in the US state of Iowa who have purchased the software maker's products since 1994. The case claims that anticompetitive practices by Microsoft caused consumers to pay more for its products that they would have otherwise.
Microsoft says its products have been successful because of their low cost and high quality.
"We believe that Iowa consumers and businesses received incredible value from our products at affordable prices," Microsoft attorney Rich Wallis said.
A jury trial is scheduled to begin in Des Moines on Nov. 13.
Polk County District Judge Scott Rosenberg said the request by plaintiffs' attorney Roxanne Conlin to have Gates and Ballmer appear in person was not unreasonable.
"The requested witnesses are in important decision-making positions for the defendant," he wrote in an opinion dated Thursday. "The jury should be allowed to view them live during both parties' case presentation to observe their demeanor and help the jury to assess their credibility. This method of questioning by both parties will make the witnesses' interrogation and presentation effective for the ascertainment of the truth."
Conlin said that the judge's ruling means they must appear when she calls for them and must answer questions she poses on topics of her choosing.
"The point was to have them come when I wanted them to testify," she said. "We really do see this as a significant win for us."
The Iowa case is one of a few remaining state antitrust cases against the Redmond, Washington-based software manufacturer.
Conlin said the trial is anticipated to last six months, but Wallis doubted it would take that long.
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) is expected to share his views about the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s prospects during his speech at the company’s 37th anniversary ceremony, as AI servers have become a new growth engine for the equipment manufacturing service provider. Lam’s speech is much anticipated, as Quanta has risen as one of the world’s major AI server suppliers. The company reported a 30 percent year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue to NT$1.41 trillion (US$43.35 billion) last year, thanks to fast-growing demand for servers, especially those with AI capabilities. The company told investors in November last year that
Intel Corp has named Tasha Chuang (莊蓓瑜) to lead Intel Taiwan in a bid to reinforce relations between the company and its Taiwanese partners. The appointment of Chuang as general manager for Intel Taiwan takes effect on Thursday, the firm said in a statement yesterday. Chuang is to lead her team in Taiwan to pursue product development and sales growth in an effort to reinforce the company’s ties with its partners and clients, Intel said. Chuang was previously in charge of managing Intel’s ties with leading Taiwanese PC brand Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), which included helping Asustek strengthen its global businesses, the company
Taiwanese suppliers to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, 台積電) are expected to follow the contract chipmaker’s step to invest in the US, but their relocation may be seven to eight years away, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said yesterday. When asked by opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) in the legislature about growing concerns that TSMC’s huge investments in the US will prompt its suppliers to follow suit, Kuo said based on the chipmaker’s current limited production volume, it is unlikely to lead its supply chain to go there for now. “Unless TSMC completes its planned six
Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) yesterday said it plans to ship its new 1 megawatt charging systems for electric trucks and buses in the first half of next year at the earliest. The new charging piles, which deliver up to 1 megawatt of charging power, are designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles, and support a maximum current of 1,500 amperes and output of 1,250 volts, Delta said in a news release. “If everything goes smoothly, we could begin shipping those new charging systems as early as in the first half of next year,” a company official said. The new
RSS