Lin---s Not Sufficiently Different Than Lindows, Apparently

from the funny-how-that-works dept

It's funny how response to court rulings look different depending on which side of the ruling you're on. Back during the Microsoft anti-trust case, every time Microsoft was told to do something, they complied to the letter of the request, but rarely the spirit - making silly changes that only ticked off the judge. So, now, when Lindows goes and does the same thing, Microsoft freaks out. You may recall that, after Microsoft won a trademark infringement case in Benelux against Lindows, they jokingly changed their name to Lind---s to comply with the ruling. Microsoft went back to court to say this wasn't sufficient, and now Lindows says they've completely withdrawn from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Of course, even that isn't satisfying Microsoft's lawyers, who claim that because Benelux surfers can still reach Lindows' US site, they're in violation. Microsoft's lawyers should be very careful what they wish for. They're basically saying that any local law should apply worldwide to the internet - which is a jurisdictional question that comes up often enough. However, there would be serious problems for many companies (including Microsoft) if this argument were accepted. Instead of going in for the kill, the Microsoft lawyers involved in this case might want to think twice about what they're really saying.