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Lindows Legal Challenge

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the nothing-doin' dept.

pphrdza was one of several readers who sent in the latest on the Lindows front - it's a Ny Times (Free reg. blah blah) article entitled Glass Panes and Software. Not a whole lot of new information - more around the legal challenge blah blah.

4 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Who here has legs by Gregg+M · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Microsoft has more a leg to stand on in this trial than Lindows

    I believe Lindows has more hand. Not only was windows a generic term for glass in walls, it was also a generic term for a software interface. It was used by many companies. Microsoft has no rights over that.

    --
    Linux is only free if your time has no value. Windows is only free if you threaten to use Linux.
  2. However this plays out... by FuzzyDaddy · · Score: 4, Interesting
    While I have no love in particular for either Microsoft or Lindows, I do hope on some level that Microsoft ends up losing something significant in this case. It would be nice, for once, to see a big company initiate legal proceedings against a much smaller entity, then come out the worse for it in the end. Too many times you see big companies coming down with lawsuits with an apparent attitude of "even if we lose the case we don't come out behind, and perhaps we can crush them solely with the expenses of litigation."

    --
    It's not wasting time, I'm educating myself.
  3. Microsoft Forced Windows Commander to change... by SailorBob · · Score: 5, Interesting
    it's name after some 9 years. From: Windows Commander Name Change

    Windows Commander is now Total Commander!

    Why this name change? In Summer 2002, we received a letter from attorneys representing the owner of the trademark Windows. In this letter they expressed concerns that our usage of the name could lead to confusion with their own products. In particular, people could think that our program could be from their company. We were indirectly asked to change the name of our software.

    Because Windows is registered as a trademark, we didn't want to risk a lawsuit, and decided to change the name. It's important to mention that we have been treated in a very fair way: There have never been any legal threats, and we could negotiate a transitional period until the end of the year. We ask you to consider this, and not to make any negative comments - especially in the forum. Because we are legally responsible for its contents, it could bring us into deep legal troubles. Please also do not contact us because of the new name. As a small company, we couldn't handle the big amount of messages. We will not give more information about the name change anyway.

    The original name Windows Commander was chosen more by coincidence. There were already many Commander-style programs for DOS (e.g. DOS Command Center, DOS Controller, and the Norton Commander), but hardly any for Windows. The word Commander was standing already at this time - 9 years ago - for a whole class of file managers with 2 windows side by side. Windows Commander was one of the very first such programs for Windows, therefore the chosen name was quite logical.

    The new name Total Commander was chosen together with a trademark attorney. Total Commander was also registered as a trademark. Thanks to the new name, we now also have new possibilities to offer similar products for other platforms, e.g. for PocketPC or Linux. The name should stand for the fact that the program puts you in total command over your files. It allows you to see what is really saved on the harddisk, and helps you to manipulate all files directly.

    We can only speculate why the owner of the name 'Windows' has become active just now (after 9 years). On one side, they have been put under pressure by the usage of their (slightly changed) name by the Linux community. There have been reproaches that they wouldn't be actively defending their name, and losing their trademark this way. On the other side, someone else had just registered the domain www.windowscommander.com (which we own ourselves in the meantime). The company may have noticed us because of this registration.

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    Woopty Doo Basil, what does it all mean?!

  4. Did anyone notice... by Audacious · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...that Bill Gates purjured himself? The quote on page 2:

    "In written testimony last month, Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman asserted that...Windows is a layer of software between an operating system and an application...."

    In the antitrust testimony Bill Gates was very emphatic that Windows and the OS were the same thing and could not be separated. Maybe someone should pass this along to those states which are still in litigation. Be interesting to see the response Mr. Gates has on this. :-)

    --
    Someone put a black hole in my pocket and now I'm broke. :-)