ONLINE JUSTICE?

Two weeks afterderailing Microsoft Corp.'s $2 billion bid to acquire Intuitand corner the online-transactions market, the Justice Department is going after thesoftware giant's plans to expand aggressively into online services. Two leading online companies -- Prodigy and America Online -- said they had received subpoenas to cooperate with an investigation into anticompetitive practices. At issue: Microsoft plans to "bundle" its Microsoft Network with its new Windows 95 software in August -- a move that could quickly put all rivals at an unfair disadvantage by providing 20 million Windows users with the startup kit for the new online software.TIME senior technology editor Philip Elmer-DeWittsays the new investigation indicates that Justice is dead serious about preventing that outcome. "Microsoft argues that the government should not get involved. By stepping up the competitive pressure, Microsoft could help lower prices." By providing Microsoft Network to several times the number of people who use AOL or Prodigy, though, Microsoft wouldinstantly become the de facto online standard. That is what Justice is challenging.