The judge deciding whether to suspend the European Union's antitrust order against Microsoft's (MSFT) pending appeal has called an unexpected meeting, two weeks after two longtime backers of the EU's case abruptly pulled out.
Judge Bo Vesterdorf, president of the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg, called a closed-door session for Thursday to discuss "procedural matters," the court said, declining to elaborate.
Another person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the judge apparently wanted to "figure out what the significance is" of the Nov. 8 defection of Microsoft rival Novell and a Washington-based trade group, the Computer & Communications Industry Association.
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Silicon Valley exported: Spending in Eastern Europe and Asia is expected to lead a recovery in the global technology market over the next three years, according to an industry report.
After years of sluggish growth, technology spending is expected to climb steadily through 2007 as China, Poland and other countries in the developing world invest heavily in hardware, software, networking equipment and services, according to a study commissioned by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance, an industry trade group.
Spending in Asia and the Pacific Rim is expected to grow quickest, at 9.3 percent annually, while spending is predicted to increase in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at a rate of 8.9 percent per year.
As developing countries jump into the tech game, their influence is expected to grow accordingly, the report said.
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A loss of license: Finland may withdraw a third-generation mobile network license from Suomen 3G, an operator owned by Sweden's Tele2, due to delays in building the high-speed network.
Suomen 3G has failed to meet the network construction requirements given in its licensing agreement and has until Jan. 7 to provide an explanation, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a statement.
Finland was the first country in the world to award 3G licenses in 1999, but the rollout of networks has been delayed due to technological glitches and a lack of phones, and the Nordic country has fallen behind other countries, such as Japan.
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Cuts looming for HP: Hewlett-Packard expects to incur roughly $200 million in expenses for work-force reductions slated for the first half of fiscal 2005.
As part of the computer giant's ongoing cost-structure management, it routinely reviews the size of its work force and makes adjustments deemed appropriate, HP (HPQ) said in a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing did not specify how many jobs would be cut.
Despite previously stated efforts to reduce its work force, HP added 4,000 employees in the fiscal fourth quarter for a total of 150,000 worldwide. HP said the reductions will occur across its various businesses and will have a net impact of roughly 4 cents a share in the first half of fiscal 2005.
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Compiled by David Cohn. AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
