Microsoft must bundle Java with Windows

A US court has ruled that Microsoft must include Sun Microsystems' Java software in distributions of its Windows operating system.

According to the Washington Post, Judge Frederick Motz said that he would approve Sun's request for a preliminary injunction requiring Microsoft to include Java, after working out the details with lawyers for both companies.

Sun is suing Microsoft for billions of dollars following rulings by two federal courts that Microsoft violated antitrust laws, in part by undermining Java.

The company told a hearing earlier this month that, in the two years that it could take for a lawsuit to be heard, Microsoft's .Net could easily overwhelm Java because it would be included with Windows.

Sun asked for the injunction to ensure a level playing field until the case is decided. The injunction could be issued next month.

Microsoft intends to appeal against the decision, and is likely to seek a stay of the order pending the appeal.

Legal experts were sceptical of Sun's chances of winning the injunction, because the courts don't want to make decisions that influence the marketplace before a trial is held, according to the Washington Post.

Judge Motz wrote in his ruling: "Microsoft has succeeded, through its antitrust violations, in creating an environment in which the distribution of Java on PCs is chaotic."