California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown wants to keep Microsoft Corp. on probation.

A key portion of a consent decree that has forced Microsoft to play by business rules different from other companies' since 2002 is set to quietly expire Nov. 12.

Brown plans to ask a federal judge to extend those terms, arguing that they have yet to reduce Microsoft's enormous clout in key markets that they were designed to open up. That request could come as soon as today.

"The same power relationships [exist] today as were true before this whole case began, and the purpose of the antitrust law is to increase competition," Brown said.

The rules binding Microsoft's conduct stem from a settlement agreement between the Justice Department and the Redmond, Wash., software giant after a long antitrust battle.

Expiring this fall is a key section designed to stop Microsoft from retaliating against computer makers that bundle competing software products on new personal computers.

Among other things, the decree established a procedure for court-appointed officials to investigate any complaints from computer makers that Microsoft treated them differently if they didn't install its products on PCs.

The landscape has changed since Microsoft was found to have abused its monopoly power in computer operating systems. The company faces serious competitive threats from Google Inc. and other Internet powerhouses that weren't on the horizon when the case was settled. And many computer makers install products from such Microsoft rivals as RealNetworks Inc. Continue At Source