Plaintiffs in the Iowa antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. used the first week of arguments to play two videotaped depositions for the jury.

The first, which they began showing Dec. 15 and completed last Thursday, was the 10-hour videotaped deposition of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates that was taken in 1998 for the U.S. Department of Justice case alleging that Microsoft violated federal antitrust laws in the way it maintained its monopoly in personal computer operating systems between July 15, 1995, and June 24, 1999.

The defense spoke with the jury at the end of its opening statement about the deposition, asking them not to focus on the interaction between the lawyer and Gates, which at times was combative, but on the substance of Gates’ testimony.

The second video shown to the jurors was a deposition of the former CEO of DRI/Novell, Richard Williams. The story of his company, which produced a competing operating system in the late ’80s and early ’90s that challenged Microsoft’s, was featured prominently in the opening statement of Roxanne Conlin, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs. Conlin said the company, along with eight others she told the jury about, was irreparably harmed by the actions of Microsoft to uphold its monopoly.

Also last week, Polk County District Judge Scott Rosenberg ruled that the plaintiffs may call expert witnesses to the stand on more than one occasion. Conlin’s hope is to present her case in a similar fashion as her opening statement, by forgoing chronological order and speaking about the different companies individually as the case progresses. She asked the court to allow her to call her witnesses to speak on each of the companies when they are presented to the jury, and the court ruled that she could.

The trial is now in recess until Jan. 4, at which time the plaintiffs will resume presenting their case.