Part judgment in icons case

Press, 1 August 1989, Page 33

Part judgment in icons case

A United States Court has ruled in favour of Microsoft Corporation and Hewlett-Packard for partial summary judgment on copyrightinfringement claims brought by Apple Computer. Judge William Schwarzer signed an order, agreeing with Microsoft and HP that nearly all of the visual displays in the Microsoft Windows 2.03 software program are licensed under an agreement signed by Apple and Microsoft in 1985.

HP has licensed Windows 2.03, which is used with the MS-DOS version of HP New Wave software. HP officials said the ruling eliminated most of the issues involved in the suit, which Apple filed on March 17, 1988. The only remaining issues involve the appearance and manipulation of icons, (symbols that represent programs or data), and overlapping windows on a computer screen. “Today’s ruling significantly nar-

rows the focus of the law suit, and reinforces the position that HP has held all along,” said Mr Douglas C. Chance, HP executive vice-presi-dent and head of the networked systems sector. “The few remaining issues are minor, and we are confident they will be resolved quickly in our favour.” In its suit, Apple alleged that the visual displays in Windows 2.03 and the HP New Wave software environment infringed Apple copyrights.