Company officials said the additional time was sought by the government to address issues raised by Microsoft in a brief filed on Wednesday of this week, such as how to deal with foreign governments and how tax issues should be handled in a break up.
The government’s surprise request came less than 24 hours after it dismissed Microsoft’s final arguments as “another posture for appeal.”
Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan said today: “We certainly, as stated in our papers, believe that the government’s plan is dangerous and it’s extreme and there are significant problems not only with the ramifications of such a proposal but also with the implementation of such a proposal." He added: "We still believe that this proposal is extreme, far-reaching and at the end of the day will be overturned on appeal."