Court junks Microsoft appeal on Novell antitrust suit

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied Microsoft Corp.'s appeal to stop the antitrust suit filed by Novell in 2004, according to the Associated Press.

The suit alleges that Microsoft "deliberately targeted and destroyed" Novell's WordPerfect and QuattroPro programs to protect its Windows OS monopoly. Novell claimed that the software giant targeted the programs because they could run on alternative OS and could therefore bolster alternatives to Windows.

Microsoft countered in court filings that Novell did not compete in the OS market and could not claim to have been harmed by supposed anticompetitive conduct by Microsoft in that market.

A court of appeals in Richmond, Virginia, decided in favor of Novell and allowed the suit to proceed. Microsoft lawyers said the ruling expanded the application of antitrust laws "far beyond their intended scope."