Microsoft has been the subject of antitrust investigations since the early 1990s. The U.S. government and many states sued the company, and the court found Microsoft was using its operating system dominance to quash other types of competing software, including Netscape's Web browser. This led to a 2002 settlement and a consent decree that says Microsoft must help rivals build software that runs smoothly on Windows, among other conditions. Most of the terms of the consent decree are set to expire in November, but the Justice Department has extended through 2009 its oversight of Microsoft's technical documentation and licensing program. On Thursday, a group of states led by California submitted a report to the U.S. District Court judge who oversees Microsoft's compliance with the settlement, which said ending oversight in November doesn't allow enough time to review the antitrust implications of Windows Vista. A hearing is set for Sept. 11 in U.S. District Court in Washington with Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.