A Year Ago: Microsoft ordered to hand over pricing details

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson this morning granted a motion by the Department of Justice that forces Microsoft to turn over pricing information from its sales and OEM databases.

Jackson, while acknowledging Microsoft's objection to the motion, said the information would help him reach a decision in the landmark antitrust case being argued before him here by the software giant and the DoJ.

Late last Friday, the DoJ filed its latest motion with the court seeking to compel Microsoft to fully open up the databases.

Although Microsoft and the government worked over the course of three days querying the 80GB databases on Microsoft's campus, the DoJ in its filing accused Microsoft of withholding access to substantial information about the sales and pricing of Windows and Internet Explorer. The DoJ also accused Microsoft of altering the data.

Lawyers for the DoJ will have two days to retrieve data from the databases.

Take me to the DoJ/Microsoft special .