The Lindows vs. Microsoft case seems to be over. Microsoft has agreed to pay Lindows $20 million dollars for Lindows.com website, and Lindows has agreeded to change its name to Linspire.
After claiming that Lindows violated its "Windows" trademark, Microsoft is to pay $20m to Lindows.com -- which will change its name and hand over a clutch of Web sites, according to reports.
Microsoft"s battle with Lindows.com may be over. According to reports on Monday afternoon, Microsoft has agreed to pay Lindows.com $20m -- $15m by August 15th this year and $5m by the start of February 2005. In return, Lindows.com will change its name to Linspire and hand over to Microsoft the rights to a number of Web sites, including www.lindows.com.
A Microsoft UK spokesman was not immediately able to confirm this report, which was published by CBS Marketwatch and cited a regulatory filing. A Lindows spokesperson told ZDNet UK that the company could not comment on the story, but that it will be holding a press conference to discuss the settlement at 1:00 p.m. EST. Microsoft and Lindows.com have been engaged in a legal tussle since 2001, after Lindows launched a version of Linux that would run applications written for the Windows platform. Microsoft filed a lawsuit claiming that Lindows.com was violating its trademark on the word "windows". Lindows, though, has insisted that the term "windows" was generic.