DoJ admits Microsoft case wasn't strong enough

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has admitted that it settled its antitrust case with Microsoft in part because its case wasn't strong enough to win.

DoJ attorney Philip Beck said that while the company had dominated the Intel-based PC market through anti-competitive acts, the government is not in a position to make the argument stick.

Beck told the court: "We tried very hard to the first time round and we were not able to do it... the causation issues would have been an uphill battle that would likely have been resolved against us," US wires report.

He added that the government had failed to prove that Microsoft committed anti-competitive acts against Netscape and Sun.

Beck also conceded that the settlement would not have any significant effect on Microsoft's monopoly.

The DoJ settled with Microsoft in November.

Nine US states are pursuing the software giant down a separate legal avenue and this week demanded the relese of the Windows source code and more flexibility for OEMs to install other companies' software on new PCs.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer rejected the proposals, claiming it would destroy the company's ability to "compete and innovate".

Despite throwing in the towel, the DoJ's Beck claimed the case has been a "major victory and accomplishment".