From Reuters - “U.S. judge tells Google to work through Justice Department“:

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said Google should take its concerns about Vista to the Justice Department and the states, adding that Google is not a party in this case.

Ouch. That has to sting. The Justice Department has said Google’s complaint is just a “PR stunt”. I wonder how they’re going to handle this now.

Whether you agree with Google’s assertion that the desktop search in Windows Vista is anti-competitive or not, you can’t really blame the judge for her reaction. Not is Google not a party in the case, but they also stepped way out of line when they bypassed established channels and went directly to the judge.

The moral of the story: no matter how big and powerful and influential you are, the government still holds the cards… and there are procedures in place that must be followed.