UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA _________________________________________________________________ ) ) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Civil Action No. 98-1232 (TPJ) ) MICROSOFT CORPORATION, ) ) Defendant. ) ) _________________________________________________________________ ) STATE OF NEW YORK, et al., ) ) Plaintiffs ) ) v. ) ) MICROSOFT CORPORATION, ) ) Defendant ) ) _________________________________________________________________ ) Civil Action No. 98-1233 (TPJ) ) MICROSOFT CORPORATION, ) ) v. ) ) Counterclaim-Plaintiff, ) ) ELLIOT SPITZER, attorney ) general of the State of ) New York, in his official ) capacity, et al., ) ) Counterclaim-Defendants. ) ) _________________________________________________________________ CONCLUSIONS OF LAW The United States, nineteen individual states, and the District of Columbia ("the plaintiffs") bring these consolidated civil enforcement actions against defendant Microsoft Corporation ("Microsoft") under