Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Latest News
    • Servers

    Lindows.com Exits Benelux in Face of Fine

    Written by

    Matthew Hicks
    Published March 12, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Lindows.com Inc. on Friday stopped selling its products in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg after Microsoft Corp. asked a Dutch court to fine it 100,000 euro ($123,410) a day.

      A Dutch court in January had temporarily barred Lindows.com, of San Diego, from selling its Linux-based operating system in the three European countries, known as the Benelux countries. But Lindows.com tried a novel approach in February to continue doing business there. It changed its name for those markets to “Lin—s” (Lindash) and launched a new Web site under that name.

      Microsoft earlier this week fought back when it sought the fine in a court filing, alleging that Lindows.com has not blocked visitors from the Benelux countries from its Web site and that “Lin—s clearly refers to Lindows” and continues to violates its Windows trademark.

      “We do feel that they clearly are violating the terms of the preliminary injunction order,” Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said on Friday. “This matter could be easily resolved if they just changed their name.”

      While Microsoft says it is defending its Windows trademark, Lindows.com CEO Michael Robertson views the software giants latest legal move as an attempt to shut his company down.

      Lindows.com has attempted to block visitors from the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg by adding a notice to its main site informing those visitors that they are not authorized to access or make purchases from the site. The company also has replaced the content on its Lindash site with a similar notice.

      “We have completely withdrawn our products from these markets and put notices on every page of our website, yet Microsoft is still asking that the judge fine us 100,000 euro per day because non-U.S. visitors can view our U.S.-based website,” Robertson said in a statement.

      “Microsofts actions demonstrate this has nothing to do with protecting their Dutch trademark or confusion in the marketplace, but is simply an attempt to put us out of business,” he said.

      Lindows.com has appealed the temporary injunction against it, a Lindows.com spokeswoman said. The next hearing in the trademark infringement case is set for March 30.

      Microsoft has challenged Lindows.coms use of a name similar to “Windows” across North America and Europe, claiming it violates its trademark.

      While gaining temporary injunctions against the use of the Lindows.com name in the Benelux countries, Sweden and Finland, Microsoft hit a snag in February in its U.S. case. A federal judge, siding with Lindows.com, ruled that the jury in the stateside case should consider the historical use of the term windows in graphical user interfaces rather just its current usage as being synonymous with Microsoft Windows. The ruling has led to some experts to question whether Microsofts Windows trademark might be at risk.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms Linux & Open Source Center at http://linux.eweek.com for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis. Be sure to add our eWEEK.com Linux news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page: /zimages/4/19420.gif http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/my/addtomyyahoo2.gif

      Matthew Hicks
      Matthew Hicks
      Matt Hicks covers the fast-changing developments in Internet technologies. His coverage includes the growing field of Web conferencing software and services. With over eight years as a business and technology journalist, Matt has gained insight into the market strategies of IT vendors as well as the needs of enterprise IT managers. Along with Web conferencing, he follows search engines, Web browsers, speech technology and the Internet domain-naming system.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.