Xref: utzoo comp.sys.apple:4833 comp.sys.ibm.pc:13592 comp.windows.misc:374
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!necntc!dandelion!carl
From: carl@dandelion.CI.COM (Carl A. Dunham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.windows.misc
Subject: Apple Lawsuit (was BOYCOTT APPLE, etc.)
Message-ID: <4283@dandelion.CI.COM>
Date: 23 Mar 88 20:02:59 GMT
References: <292@unicom.UUCP> <663@csm9a.UUCP>
Reply-To: carl@orchid.UUCP (Carl A. Dunham)
Organization: Cognition, Inc., Billerica, MA
Lines: 31
Keywords: Microsoft, HP New Wave, Xerox, Lawsuit

In article <663@csm9a.UUCP> japplega@csm9a.UUCP (Joe Applegate) writes:
>
>Years ago they forced DRI to destroy GEM, which was my favorite operating
>environment for the PC, using the same logic of "it's ours cause we stole
>it first!".  Now that windows and the Presentation Manager have become a
>viable market their pulling the same charade.  Fortunately Microsoft is
>in a much better position to legally fight this harassent than DRI ever
>was!
>

This brings up an interesting point.  What exactly does Apple hope to
gain here?  With DRI, they might have wanted to scare off some
small-fry that thought they could make some bucks with Mac-clones
(albeit not many, cf. Atari and Commodore).  With this suit, either
they win, and User Interface technology is frozen in its tracks (so
much for "Changing the Way People Think"), or they lose, and their
"look and feel" legal position is shattered.  The third alternative,
that is settling, might delay some product introductions, but
shouldn't really change much for anyone.

I suspect that to some degree, Apple is trying to get the legal system
to define more precisely what rights they have to their interface
ideas, and to what extent look and feel can be protected.  I'll be
very interested to see what the final word is on this one.

By the way, the current precident for the "look and feel" defense is
Visicorp vs Lotus, isn't it?  Didn't Apple and DRI settle out of
court?

By the way, I'm not a lawyer, and am in no way legally inclined, so
take my views with a grain of salt.