Siliconvalley.internet.com: Lindows.com Trademark Suit Goes to Jury

"The United States District Court in Seattle Friday said it will let a jury decide a landmark trademark infringement case brought forward by Microsoft.

"The court denied San Diego-based Lindows.com's 'Motion for Summary Judgment on Genericness,' which challenges the validity of Microsoft's Windows trademark. The trial is expected to start on April 7, 2003.

"Although he denied the motion, Judge John C. Coughenour did say, 'Lindows.com has presented a significant amount of evidence that the relevant consuming public... in the early 1980s considered 'windows' and its derivatives to constitute generic terms for graphical operating environments, the category of products that included Windows 1.0...'

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• CNET News: Dustup Hits Desktop Linux Confab(Jan 20, 2003)
• Boston Globe: Lindows Case Goes Beyond Business(Jan 13, 2003)
• New York Times: Glass Panes and Software: Windows Name Is Challenged(Dec 30, 2002)