Microsoft and Lindows faced off in a Dutch court Tuesday over allegations the Linux operating system company infringed on the Windows trademark.
Microsoft"s lawsuit, which seeks a fine of more than $100,000 per day, is one of several the company has filed against Lindows, in jurisdictions in North America and Europe, during the past two years. In this case, the San Diego company is being sued for having "Lindows" appear on its Web site. In recent weeks, the Linux company has rebranded its product line with the name "Linspire" and changed its Web address so that it no long contains the word "Lindows," but Microsoft remains dissatisfied about the remaining use of the term.
"Microsoft is continuing its bullying tactics, which have obliterated competition over the last 20 years and led to convictions on multiple continents," Lindows CEO Michael Robertson said in a statement. "Now Microsoft is taking the ridiculous position that the U.S.-required copyright notice in tiny text on the bottom of some of the pages of the Linspire.com Web site will confuse consumers...We hope the judge and the world will view Microsoft"s actions as continuing anticompetitive behavior."