THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Judge rules Microsoft violated antitrust laws A Microsoft employee works on his computer in front of the MSNBC building yesterday in Redmond, Wash. A U.S. District Court judge ruled yesterday Microsoft violated antitrust laws. Mass. enacts strict gun regulation By John McElhenny ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER BOSTON Massachusetts put the nation's strictest gun regulations into effect yesterday, using consumer-protection rules to ban cheap "Saturday night specials" and require childproof locks on any gun sold in the state. The state will contact gun manufacturers and sellers within 15 days to inform them of the regulations, which also require safety warnings with each gun, tamper-resistant serial numbers, and indicators on semiauto matic handguns that tell if a bullet is in the chamber. "Massachusetts now has the most com prehensive and toughest gun laws in the nation," said John Rosenthal of Stop Hand gun Violence Inc. The Gun Owners' Action League said the new enforcement is unnecessary because strict federal and state regulations are already in place. In an unprecedented legal maneuver, then-Attorney General Scott Harshbarger wrote the rules in 1997, bypass ing the Legislature. He relied instead on the attorney general's broad powers to regulate consumer products. Those powers do not specifically mention guns. Thirty-four other states have passed legis lation that would allow them to regulate handguns as they would other consumer products, but Massachusetts is the first to actually impose such regulations. Attorney General Thomas Reilly said Lt. Det. Mark Delaney of the Massachusetts State Police holds a handgun with a trigger lock during a news conference yesterday in Boston. investigators will begin spot checks of gun stores within 15 days. Reilly said he is apply ing consumer protection standards to guns, just as the state already does with toys, auto mobiles and other products. The Gun Owners' Action League said that educational programs sponsored by gun owners have succeeded in significantly reducing firearms accidents, despite an increase in gun ownership. League spokesman Kevin Sowyrda accused the attorney general of exploiting WASHINGTON, D.C. Humblirig a proud giant of the computer age, a federal judge ruled yesterday that Microsoft Corp. violated U.S. antitrust laws by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on competitors during the race to link Americans to the Internet. In a sweeping verdict against the empire that Bill Gates built, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson said Microsoft vio lated the Sherman Antitrust Act, just as Stan dard Oil and AT&T did in earlier antitrust cases. He concluded that the company was guilty as the federal government, 19 states and the District of Columbia had alleged in the case that began in October 1998 of "unlaw fully tying its Web browser" to its Windows operating system that dominates the comput er market worldwide. "Microsoft placed an oppressive thumb on the scale of competitive fortune, thereby effec tively guaranteeing its continued dominance" in the market, Jackson wrote. The verdict affirms Jackson's previous rul ing in November that the software giant is a monopoly, one that illegally used its power to bully competitors, stifle innovation and hurt consumers in the process. The judge's ruling can be appealed, delay- the issue to increase his own popularity. "This is an assault on veterans and an assault on gun owners," he said. The National Rifle Association declined to comment. Also yesterday, the Maryland House was expected to take up legislation requiring built-in locks on all new guns sold. The bill has already passed the Senate, and the gov ernor is eager to sign it. The new Massachusetts regulations go further than changes announced last month by gunmaker Smith & Wesson. The compa ny, under threat of a federal lawsuit, agreed to provide external safety locks on all of its handguns within 60 days and built-in locks within two years. One of the Massachusetts requirements is that serial numbers be tamper-resistant, either placed inside the gun, such as in the barrel, or imprinted so that they can only be read with an infrared detector. Another requirement is that the guns have a lock, such as an attached key-operat ed lock or a combination lock built into guns that blocks the barrel. Another is that semi automatic handguns have a so-called load indicator, a device already installed in some guns, that tells if a bullet is in the chamber. A built-in child-proofing mechanism would also be required, which could include increasing the trigger-tension to at least a 10-pound pull, changing the firing mecha nism to make it inoperable for child-sized hands, or requiring a series of motions to fire the gun. 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While Microsoft "did everything we could to settle this case, we believe we have a strong case on appeal," Gates said. " ... This ruling turns on its head the reality that consumers know: that our software has helped make PCs accessible and more affordable to millions of Americans." The decision opens the door for the federal government to seek drastic penalties against Microsoft The options range from breaking up the company that made Gates a billionaire to forc ing it to share its proprietary software code with competitors. Jackson also paved the way for states to seek penalties under their own anti-competition laws. "Microsoft maintained its monopoly power by anti-competitive means and attempted to monopolize the Web browser market," the judge wrote in a ruling that caused a record plunge in the NASDAQ market even before its release. Microsoft stock dropped by more than $l5 a share to close at $90.87 1 2, costing Gates about $12.1 billion in paper losses. The Justice Department vowed to press the case until consumers are rewarded. "Microsoft has been held accountable for its illegal conduct by a court of law," Attorney General Janet Reno said. "Thanks to this rul Ecstasy suggest NEW YORK A lawyer arriving from Paris is stopped at John F. Kennedy Inter national Airport for a routine customs inspection. Discovered in the false bottom of his bag are 21,000 ecstasy pills. An Israeli is overheard on a wiretap arranging illicit deliveries of ecstasy to Manhattan hotels. Investigators seize 300,000 pills worth $7.5 million and make 32 arrests. A young ultra-Orthodox Jew, about to be sentenced in Brooklyn, laments accepting a free flight to Belgium in exchange for returning with luggage laden with a design er drug again, ecstasy. Authorities cite these recent cases and others as proof that New York City has become the epicenter of a national boom in illegal imports of ecstasy, the synthetic - psychedelic amphetamine" also known as MDMA, or simply "E." Seizures of the innocent-looking tablets some are embossed with smiley faces, shamrocks or Playboy bunny ears have multiplied like rabbits. U.S. Customs reports it confiscated 3.5 million pills throughout the country in fiscal 1999, com pared to 750,000 in 1998; the total has already reached 4 million this year. Voted the BEST student apartment complex. ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED except phone. Large, furnished 2 bedrooms with 2 full baths Across from campus and a short walk to the Jordan Center and downtown Large comfortable study lounge. On-site MAC, Individual leases & covered parking available First student complex to offer DSL internet access to all apartments, at speeds up to 1 Mbps. (10-20 times faster than a dial up modem) c afe- [OUIR WED, APR 5 seizures national By Tom Hays ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER ing, consumers who have been harmed can now look forward to benefits." Reno's antitrust chief, Joel Klein, said he was still open to a settlement but that it would have to redress the violations cited in yester day's ruling. "Microsoft's anti-competitive actions tram meled the competitive process through which the computer software industry generally stimulates innovation and conduces to the optimum benefit of consumers," Jackson wrote. The allegations stem from a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department and 19 states and the District of Columbia against the Red mond, Wash.-based company. Jackson wrote that Microsoft made arrangements with computer manufacturers and Internet providers that "successfully ostracized" Navigator, a browser made by Microsoft rival Netscape Communications, in favor of the company's Internet Explorer. Microsoft adopted - aggressive measures" to ensure that access providers would encour age the use of Explorer over Navigator, Jack son wrote, adding, "There are no valid rea sons to justify the full extent of Microsoft's exclusionary behavior." Both sides tried to postpone a ruling by working the last four months through a court appointed mediator. The talks collapsed over the weekend. prompting Jackson to release his verdict. In the New York City area alone, the totals were 1.3 million pills in 1999, up from 48A00 in 1998. Agents have discovered ecstasy stashed in airmailed packages, and in imported cars and antique furniture. But mainly, it's smuggled in luggage carried by couriers from Europe. where pills are produced for less than a dollar for sale in a youthful and expanding U.S. market for up to $4O a piece, authorities said. Using undercover officers and cooperat ing suspects, authorities have learned that the New York imports serve a vast North east market. Federal officials, who asked not to be identified, said New York appeared to be the largest American gateway for ecstasy based on number of pills seized. Other major entry points include Miami and Orlando. Memphis a hub for interna tional air deliveries is the main supplier for California. The multimillion dollar profit potential has attracted an eclectic collection of traf fickers working in varied locales, as evi denced by the Feb. 24 arrest of notorious mob turncoat Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano for his alleged role in an ecstasy ring in Phoenix, and the seizure of 30,000 pills carried by an air traveler to Cincinnati three weeks later. 231-9000 or 800-392-0444 www.gwapts.corn C ry ENTER INNERS ISLAMOR,ADA TERDR,ACE Caisine of the Florida KeyS Bana.n.a. &aim Staffed Chicis.o. Breast i with Ram Sauce Grilled Salmon. with Fresh Fruit Compote Tagboat Crab Cakes Filet with 'Ram 4 Molasses Glaze with Peppers. 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