The legal battle with Microsoft that has seen Linux reseller Lindows running a gantlet of courts over trademark infringement seems, for the moment, to be going in the open-source company’s favor.
Lindows wins one against Microsoft
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Go Lindows. Someone has to shut the Window$.
It would be *really* cool if Windows could no longer protect its name and, in the US at least, the word windows returned to be a generic term for any windowing interface.
.., court has made the brand illegal.
I think the main difference is that in the languages Finnish/Swedish/Dutch the word “windows” is not an offical word, except for their 2nd or 3rd official/also used a lot language which possibly is English.
Fantastic news for a fantastic company. Good job. I hope Microsoft loses its precious WINDOWS word.
If microsoft where to win this case, it may put an end to the home improvement business!
As Smeggy said:
Fantastic news for a fantastic company. Good job.
But I mean Microsoft has been developing the Windows operating system for nearly the last 20 years, and it has been their products name. I think that it is fair that if a company develops a competing product and names it Lindows that they should atleast have to pay some tribute or do something. Walk in Microsoft’s shoes for a little while and realise that Lindows is working off their products name in order to get publicity. If somebody started a lighter company and named it Rippo do you think that Zippo wouldn’t have the right to take legal action?
Not saying people can’t use the name Windows for any product they are releasing, just as long as it doesn’t compete with any Microsoft Windows products.
Well, you may not have noticed, but “Zippo” does not mean anything in the english language.
“windows” however, is a well known word.
Please dont give our language to the corporations!
No it doesn’t represent any word in the English language, but you completely disregarded my argument. Windows in the “software market” is a Operating System developed by Microsoft. Whether it is a word in the english language or not, companies should not be able to use this trademark to their own advantage in the same field for a competing product.
I should be able to make Lindows cookies if I want to, and Windows 2004 Glass Cleaner. I’m not saying the Universal term Windows should fall into Microsoft Iron Grip. But it should atleast be a trademark word in the computer software realm. Lindows is gaining an edge by altering using an alteration of the most popular piece of software’s name.
At least in Sweden and Finland MS only won an interim decision. Final isn’t made yet.
I agree that Lindows are using a windows-like name to gain ground, but dont you think that Microsoft did something similar when they choose a generic word as their productname?
The answer is ofcourse yes, and this is the price they have to pay for it.
It’d be a lot cheaper to get a new branding at this stage than waste all that energy in pointless litigation with MS.
Considering how uninspired the branding of the other linux companies is, it’d be a very good investment.
Why would anybody want to name a great linux distro that? Was “Lhit”, already taken?
Windows in the “software market” is a Operating System developed by Microsoft.
That is a fallacious argument. Windows in the software market is a generic term for any window-based graphical environment, including X Windows, Microsoft Windows, and MacOS. The term windows was being used in a generic sense before Microsoft released their Microsoft Windows software. They chose to use a generic term as their product name, and as such have no right to deny others the right to use the word windows.
I dont think lindows was used to rip off M$.
However the combo of Linux and Windows.
so what do mac and solaris users open and close everyday on tehir screens?
do they call windows on their screens by any different names?
nopes!! and as far as i can tell it was mac which came Faaaar before windows, so how can you argue with that?
just because microsoft was foolish enuf to put 1.2 billion dolars of our money into building a brand doesnt mean that they get the right to use the word windows;
cheers
ram
I don’t think it really matters what they call it. It’s Lindows’ aggressive marketing and user friendliness that’s responsible for its success and not the name at all, but the publicity from the case doesn’t hurt any either.
naaah…
I believe this…
windows
!=
<>
NOT
microsoft windows.
Soo Nobody own the word “windows”… but “microsoft windows” is owned by microsot. So, whats the problem? Stop wanting money from US people. Put micro to fix his soft and give them a pacifier.
“Lindows” IS A Trademark, a new Word (w)
“Windows” IS a WORD (w)
“Microsoft Windows” is a WORD… and… I dont pay a dime for the use of my Office -I mean building, not “Microsoft Office” ™
Hope the lawyer get this clear.
Good day.
Then…
<True>
windows a hole with glass in a house…
then… microsoft windows a house with many holes, without glass but a lot of bugs
</True>
<False>
I got it! .. then windows = microsoft windows = security hole..
go micro go.. you will win!
</False>