A significant part of the antitrust settlement between Microsoft Corp. and the Justice Department comes to an end in November, and it's up to a federal judge to decide whether to extend it to 2012. The restrictions prevent Microsoft from using its market dominance to punish computer makers that preinstall software that competes with Microsoft's products.

Some states, including California, favor the extension. Microsoft says it would continue to abide by the restrictions placed on it even if the settlement were not extended. In September, a European court denied Microsoft's appeal of a similar ruling and upheld a $1 billion fine (about $1.3 billion), saying Microsoft abused its market dominance.