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Very disappointingVery disappointingPosted Jul 19, 2004 22:40 UTC (Mon) by iabervon (subscriber, #722)In reply to: Very disappointing by ccyoung Parent article: Microsoft and Lindows Settle Trademark Case
Microsoft wasn't breaking the law, and they weren't accused of doing so. Microsoft accused Lindows of breaking the law, and had gotten some localized rulings that made Lindows need a new name. At that point, it looks quite bad for Microsoft's position to buy their way out of the case; if they had a strong position, they could just win the suit, get damages, and demonstrate actually having the rights to the name. So Microsoft retains the "Windows" trademark, but we all know they couldn't keep it in court. For that matter, this settlement makes it more likely that a small project with a Windows-like name will find legal representation willing to work for a piece of a settlement or the chance of Microsoft having to pay the defendant's legal fees. I bet wxWidgets (formerly wxWindows) would have found someone to go through the legal system for them if it were clear there was $20M to be had.
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