Microsoft Corp. has won another legal victory in one of the spate of private antitrust suits filed against it. A judge in Des Moines, Iowa, has thrown out a private suit, the company said. Judges in Oregon and Nevada have already tossed out similar suits because they're among several states that only allow antitrust suits brought by people who purchased a product directly from a company. Because those suits were brought by people who purchased Windows through either computer makers or retailers, they didn't qualify. However, some states, such as California, have laws that do allow such suits, and more than 140 cases are still pending. Details to follow. -- Lisa M. Bowman, ZDNet News
