Sun wins Java round in court
By Dan Goodin
Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM
March 24, 1998, 4:15 p.m. PT
URL: news.com
In a major win for Sun Microsystems, a federal judge today ordered Microsoft to remove the Java-compatible logo from all products that use the programming language, a Microsoft spokesman said.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte of San Jose, California, was handed down late this afternoon.
It stems from a lawsuit Sun filed last October, alleging Microsoft deliberately was trying to sabotage Java by creating a version that would run only on Windows platforms. Sun has argued that Microsoft's implementation of Java does not pass a compatibility test imposed on all licensees of the language and is therefore not entitled to use the logo.
Whyte's preliminary injunction will be in place pending a final outcome in the case.
The ruling affects Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser and Java software developers kit, both of which had been promoted as "Java-compatible" under a license arrangement with Sun.
"We will immediately comply with the court's order, but we remain confident that once all the facts are presented in the larger case the court will find Microsoft to be in full compliance," Microsoft associate general counsel Tom Burt said in a statement. "We are disappointed by the court's decision, and we believe that Microsoft has been in full compliance with our contract with Sun." |
