West Virginia Officials Wary about Microsoft's Settlement Proposal.

Byline: Lawrence Messina

Jan. 11--West Virginia should beware of geeks bearing gifts, after Microsoft pitched its proposed $1 billion antitrust settlement to lawmakers, state officials believe.

The software giant's offer to aid 183 West Virginia schools may actually disguise a ploy to defeat competitors and unload obsolete equipment, lawyers with Attorney General Darrell McGraw's consumer protection division said.

"This won't cost them a dime. All this will do is make it more likely that they'll have a more captive audience for their product," Managing Deputy Attorney General Fran Hughes said. "This will stabilize their monopoly even more."

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