Microsoft Settles With Novell, Trade Group

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON -- Software giant Microsoft Corp. opened its wallet again Monday to clear more of its courtroom problems, paying $536 million to rival Novell Inc. and an undisclosed smaller amount to a trade group that had backed antitrust complaints by the U.S. government and the European Union.

Novell, a bitter, decades-long rival of Microsoft, said despite the huge payoff it intends to file an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft this week over damage a decade ago to its once-popular WordPerfect business software.

The payments announced Monday, however, were enough to persuade both Novell and the Washington-based Computer and Communications Industry Association to pull out of the legal case against Microsoft in the European Union, which has determined Microsoft abused its industry dominance and fined it $600 million. A crucial ruling on sanctions against Microsoft is expected as early as this month.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-microsoft-settlements,0,3378577.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines