States Make Recommendation For Third Microsoft Oversight Official

Attorney General Spitzer said today that his office has filed papers in federal court in Washington asking the court to appoint Edward P. Stritter as the third member of a special oversight panel created under the Microsoft settlement agreement.

The settlement agreement, which the federal court approved in November 2002, called for a three-person technical committee to assist the federal Department of Justice and settling states in monitoring Microsoft's obligations under the decree.

"We are very pleased to have Skip Stritter join the partnership between the settling states and the Department of Justice to make sure that Microsoft lives up to its responsibilities under the settlement agreement," Spitzer said.

Monday's filing by New York and the other settling states asks the court to appoint Stritter as the third member of the technical committee. The first two committee members are: Dr. Harry J. Saal, selected by DOJ and the settling states; and Franklin Fite, Jr., selected by Microsoft. Saal and Fite were chosen in November, shortly after the court approved the settlement pact. Saal and Fite then selected Stritter from among a number of candidates whom they themselves identified or whom DOJ and the settling states brought to their attention.

Stritter holds a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. degree in computer science from Stanford University, as well as an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Dartmouth College. He has extensive experience in various hardware and software technologies, having worked for Bell Laboratories, Motorola, and, most recently, Cisco Systems. Stritter also has founded three high tech companies: MIPS Computer, Inc., the developer of the first commercial RISC microprocessor; NeTpower, Inc., a producer of workstations and servers using MIPS and Intel processors; and Clarity Wireless, a producer of high data-rate fixed broadband wireless equipment.

After Stritter's selection by Saal and Fite, New York and federal antitrust officials interviewed him and determined that he was well qualified to serve on the technical committee. Court appointment is the final step in the selection process. Court appointment of Saal and Fite is also currently pending.