It had been a brisk, even perfunctory, courtroom session. On August 21, 1995, Microsoft's tall, silver-haired general counsel, known for his bow ties and aristocratic reserve, was almost visibly gloating. After a long investigation into Microsoft's business practices, he stood on the courthouse steps and declared, "At the end of five years, we were willing to accommodate the government on some licensing matters, and the rest of our practices apparently passed muster." For Microsoft, this was a moment to enjoy, having swatted aside a government challenge to its way of doing business. For the government, it was a hard lesson learned.