Microsoft Seeks Antitrust Exclusions

Microsoft Corp. and the Justice Department, in separate filings, asked a federal judge Tuesday to prevent two outside parties from participating in their antitrust hearing later this week.

The parties objected too late to a settlement reached in July by the government and the big software maker over certain business practices, the filings said.

Microsoft and the Justice Department are likely to file objections Wednesday on substantive issues already raised by the outside parties - IDE Corp. and some anonymous software companies represented together by a California law firm.

U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin will make a final decision on the participation of the parties during the hearing Friday.