No Harm Done, Says Gregoire

As Washington politicians rushed to the defense of one of the state’s biggest employers, state Attorney General Christine Gregoire said she sees no reason to join in the antitrust suits against Microsoft.

So far, Gregoire said Monday, she hasn’t seen any proof that Washington consumers are being hurt by Microsoft.

“I have seen no evidence of harm to the general welfare or economy of our state, unlike the allegations of the (other) states,” Gregoire said in a statement released Monday.

If the federal lawsuit turns up evidence that consumers are being hurt, a court decision would apply to Washington state residents, she said. Filing a suit in Washington would just be a duplication of efforts.

“We will continue to review all evidence to see if there is any reason to change our position,” she said.

Gregoire and other top Washington politicians seemed to be of the same mind in defending Redmondbased Microsoft against antitrust allegations.

Antitrust laws are designed to protect consumers, not business competitors, said Gregoire and Sens. Slade Gorton and Patty Murray.

“Today’s action represents a setback for the American consumer,” said Gorton, a Republican who criticized the Democratic administration for taking on a lawsuit “that should have been brought by Netscape and paid for by Netscape.”

California-based Netscape is the producer of an Internet browser that competes with Microsoft’s Explorer.

“Where are the angry consumers who are calling for this case?” asked Murray, a Democrat who also criticized the U.S. Justice Department.

Gov. Gary Locke also praised the software giant as an innovator: “Thanks to Microsoft, citizens from kids to seniors have embraced personal computers.”

Tina Kondo, a spokeswoman for the state Attorney General Department’s antitrust division, said that office has not received any complaints from consumers about Microsoft. She refused to say whether it had received complaints by the company’s competitors.

The state has requested information from the U.S. Justice Department and the states filing antitrust suits, Kondo said.