Judge Frederick J. Motz, who is charged with deciding whether the US$1 billion settlement proposed by Microsoft is a fair agreement, has urged both sides in the suit to meet with a mediator in hopes of reaching an agreement outside the court, according to the Associated Press. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 18. One of the most outspoken critics of the settlement has been Apple, which contends that the donation would extend Microsoft’s monopoly power into education and erode Apple’s 47 percent marketshare in K-12 schools.