More grief for Microsoft as Bristol jumps on antitrust bandwagon

A small, privately held software development company is suing Microsoft for allegedly violating antitrust law.

Bristol Technology, based in Connecticut, claims Microsoft engaged in anti-competitive behaviour through "predatory manipulation of the access to the information that is the source of its monopoly power: the Windows programming interfaces".

Bristol said Microsoft is trying to lock it into a licence which is "oppressive, unworkable and unreasonable". The company claims it has been effectively prevented from developing software for operating systems other than Windows, including Unix, Compaq's Open VMS and IBM's OS/390.

The company joins a list of others, including Sun Microsystems and the US Department of Justice, who are taking legal action against the software giant.

Keith Blackwell, chairman and president of Bristol Technology, said: "Bristol is very disappointed that it was necessary to sue to obtain what Microsoft has said all along it would provide us."

Bristol is seeking unspecified damages, and an injunction which would force Microsoft to disclose source code for Windows, including future versions such as Windows NT 5.0.

Microsoft was not available to comment on the lawsuit.