Sun Microsystems Inc has named VP and COO Mike Popov as the knowledgeable witness it will make available to Microsoft Corp. Microsoft subpoenaed Sun, America Online and Netscape Communications Corp, seeking to gather information about their complex three-way deal. The Redmond software giant evidently believes this information will help it in its antitrust battle with the US Department of Justice, perhaps by demonstrating that the Sun-AOL-Netscape alignment constitutes real competition for Microsoft’s platforms and applications. Popov reports to Ed Zander, president of Sun, and according to executives he was a key member of the negotiating team for the deal. The deposition will take place on Friday April 30 at the Federal Courthouse in San Francisco.
