The Microsoft anti-trust case was sent to a new judge yesterday to weigh what sanctions to impose on the company, even as the company began releasing the latest version of the Windows software at the centre of the legal battle.

A federal appeals court sent the case back to the US District Court, which randomly assigned the case to Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.

Judge Kollar-Kotelly is assigned the task of deciding what remedies are required to prevent any further abuse of Microsoft's monopoly in personal computer operating systems. She must also decide whether the company violated the law simply by tying its Internet Explorer browser into the Windows operating system.