lawyers all over the world are still scratching their heads trying to work out what the hell Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer meant when he'll have to buy his xBox because of Sarbanes-Oxley. ''The Ballmer children do not have their Xbox 360 yet...Thanks to the wonders of Sarbanes-Oxley, management does not get afree Xbox 360."

In an interview later, the marketing and publishing corporate vice president of Microsoft's home and entertainment division Peter Moore backed up his boss. ""He's right, he's a section 16 officer that operates under Sarbanes-Oxley," said Moore. "I'm sure the Ballmer boys aren't happy with that because he has to get in line at retail like everybody else."

All the lawyers I have spoken to in the US, Europe and Australia are flummoxed. Unfortunately, none of them wanted to go on the record but several of them questioned whether Ballmer and his crew actually understand what the law's about. ''There are prohibitions but there's nothing in Sarbanes-Oxley that stops Steve Ballmer buying Christmas presents for his kids,'' said one lawyer who preferred anonymity.

Does it have anything to do with classifying the console as income? "Not Sarbanes-Oxley,'' said one lawyer. How about a prohibition on loans? "A game console in lieu of a loan, I don't think so,' said another.

Still, whatever the legal questions, it does fit in nicely with the line that there's such a big demand for Xbox 360 consoles, that there's now a shortage.