Microsoft and Hewlett win ruling over Apple

Article Abstract:

Microsoft Corp and Hewlett-Packard Co have won a major ruling in the copyright lawsuit brought against them by Apple Computer. Judge Vaughn Walker dismissed most of Apple's claim that it could copyright the look and feel of its software, which both Microsoft and HP have imitated. Apple had argued that it had copyright protection for certain characteristics of the Macintosh, notably the icons and the overlapping windows. Unfortunately for Apple, the judge ruled that Microsoft had rights to the technology based on a 1985 license with Apple, and HP was similarly exonerated. Many questions remain unresolved, however, and are to be settled in a May 1992 hearing. Industry observers expect that future rulings will also be in favor of HP and Microsoft, since the central issues have now been resolved. The decision, handed down in San Francisco, CA in Apr 1992, caught most observers and participants by surprise.

Electronic computers, Instruments to measure electricity, Computer peripheral equipment, not elsewhere classified, Computers, peripherals & software, Microsoft Corp., AAPL, Hewlett-Packard Co., HWP, MSFT, GUI, Graphical user interfaces, Apple Inc., Court Cases, Icons

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Federal judge reverses ruling on Ashton-Tate

Article Abstract:

Ashton Tate receives a reverse ruling on its copyright protection law suit in Apr 1991 from federal judge Terry J. Hatter, Jr., the same judge who denied copyright protection for the software publisher's dBASE product in Dec 1990. The copyright lawsuit was directed against Fox Software Inc and involved protection for Ashton Tate's dBASE product, a database management system that accounts for 80 percent of the company's revenue. Ashton Tate officials note that Hatter's reverse ruling will boost the performance of the software publisher. Hatter denied copyright protection for Ashton Tate in Dec 1990 by ruling that the company knowingly misled the Copyright Office by failing to acknowledge that dBASE was derived from a program in the public domain.

Computer software industry, Software industry, Database management systems, DBMS software, Intellectual property, DBMS, Ashton-Tate Corp., TATE, Borland dBASE (DBMS), Fox Software Inc., Hatter, Terry J., Jr.

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