Microsoft v. Lindows: the “Windows” trademark case
Archive page. A short reference on one of the best-known software trademark disputes of the early 2000s.
Background and the dispute
Lindows was a desktop operating system founded by Michael Robertson and first released in 2001. It was built on Debian Linux and aimed to be familiar to Windows users, with a software installer called Click-N-Run (CNR) that made adding programs simple. Its name drew attention almost immediately. Microsoft sued over the name, arguing that “Lindows” infringed its “Windows” trademark. Lindows argued that “windows” was a generic term for a graphical user interface feature and could not be owned as a trademark.
The court ruling
The case was heard in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington before Judge John Coughenour. His ruling noted that Lindows had made a risky choice in picking a name so close to Microsoft’s, and also observed that Microsoft had itself named its product after a term already used in the industry for windowing in a GUI. The decision was widely covered by the technology press, including CNET.
Outcome
The companies settled in 2004, and as part of the agreement Lindows was renamed Linspire, which continued the product for several more years. Linspire was also the main sponsor of the Nvu web editor.
See also the Lindows.com Clicky Awards (2002).
net2.com now hosts a Quran study and research website.