[misc.legal] Look and Feel Lawsuits

paradis@encore.UUCP (02/11/87)

I just thought of something... if Lotus wins their "look and feel" lawsuit,
they will effectively have control over a very large portion of the electronic
spreadsheet market.  Would that not then make them a potential target for
an anti-trust lawsuit?  Think about it... Lotus is in the perfect position
to end up the loser.  They're big enough to squeeze out little guys, but
they're not big enough to confound the Justice Department the way IBM did!

   +----------------+  Jim Paradis                  linus--+
+--+-------------+  |  Encore Computer Corp.       necntc--|
|  | E N C O R E |  |  257 Cedar Hill St.           ihnp4--+-encore!paradis
|  +-------------+--+  Marlboro MA 01752            necis--|
+----------------+     (617) 460-0500             talcott--+
All opinions are my own... Encore doesn't know I'm saying any of this!

jbrown@jplpub1.UUCP (02/17/87)

In article <1026@encore.UUCP> paradis@encore.UUCP (Jim Paradis) writes:
>I just thought of something... if Lotus wins their "look and feel" lawsuit,
>they will effectively have control over a very large portion of the electronic
>spreadsheet market.  Would that not then make them a potential target for
>an anti-trust lawsuit?  Think about it... Lotus is in the perfect position
>to end up the loser.  They're big enough to squeeze out little guys, but
>they're not big enough to confound the Justice Department the way IBM did!

Migent Corp has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Ashton-Tate on much these
grounds.  I'm not involved directly in the suit, but am close enough to it
that I shouldn't say much more.