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Novell's WordPerfect Antitrust Suit Ends In Mistrial

Posted by timothy on from the lots-of-lawyers-love-wordperfect dept.

According to a Bloomberg News article carried by Business Week, "Jurors said today they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict in Novell Inc.’s antitrust trial against Microsoft Corp. over the WordPerfect computer program. A mistrial was declared by the judge presiding over the case in federal court in Salt Lake City ... Novell sought as much as $1.3 billion in damages over allegations that Microsoft, while developing the Windows 95 operating system in 1994, blocked an element of the software to thwart Novell’s WordPerfect and Quattro Pro programs."

6 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. In the jury room... by jd · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clippy: I see you are trying to reach a verdict.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  2. Little late... by RobinEggs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Excellent, we got a non-verdict almost 18 years after the events subject to the trial, during which time Microsoft, Apple, and most of the other serial abusers of anti-trust and/or patent law have only maintained or even increased their presence in the market.

    I'm satisfied with our justice system. Everything looks totally cool. Everyone else happy?

    1. Re:Little late... by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 5, Insightful

      People are switching to handheld devices running mainly iOS or Android. In a few years, the average college student may not be using either Windows or MacOS, but instead they will be mainly familiar with these phone/tablet systems.

      Do you actually work in the real world? I work in software product management - I create complex documents, flowcharts and work on spreadsheets. I collaborate on UI wireframes. My colleagues in accounting run sophisticated apps. I have friends who are lawyers, others who are structural engineers... Many of us work across two 22" monitors...

      How exactly do any of us do this work on tablets or phones? Microsoft OWNS those environments, hands down - From the desktops, to the servers...

      The real world isn't twitter updates from your iDevice.

    2. Re:Little late... by jd · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If Microsoft can get lawsuits to age out of the court cache, just by paying for enough delays, it becomes immune to prosecution by anyone. Anyone at all. For anything. The same would go for any other corporation.

      That kind of precedent is very relevant.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  3. I just read TFA by MoronGames · · Score: 5, Insightful

    and it sounds like one guy held up the whole thing. It was an 11-1 vote AGAINST Microsoft. Sounds like we spotted a fanboy!

    --
    hey!
    1. Re:I just read TFA by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 5, Interesting

      and it sounds like one guy held up the whole thing. It was an 11-1 vote AGAINST Microsoft. Sounds like we spotted a fanboy!

      Or someone who's about to mysteriously come into a lot of money.