larry@uts.amdahl.com (Larry Hardiman) (12/19/89)
Xerox sues Apple. OK. Why? Would someone who can get to it conveniently please get a copy of the suit from wherever one gets these things (it most likely is public record) and post it to the net? Please? If I may speculate for a moment: Apple engages Xerox in 1979 to get a license to use the Star interface. Xerox says OK; the two companies come to some financial arrangement over the transaction. What are the terms of the license? Did Xerox grant an exclusive license to Apple for use of the Star interface? If so, then Apple's suits against Microsoft and HP may indeed have some merit (I'm no lawyer). If Xerox's agreement with Apple did not give Apple an exclusive right to use the Star interface, then Apple seems to be trying to assert ownership to something they do not own. In that case, Apple may indeed loose to Microsoft and HP. Following this line of reason: Do Microsoft and HP have licenses with Xerox? Your guess is as good as mine. Would the lawyers who follow this thread care to comment? -- larry@amdahl.com
ctne_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Chris Newbold) (12/19/89)
In article <bboA02Pn75bn01@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> larry@uts.amdahl.com (Larry Hardiman) writes: >Apple engages Xerox in 1979 to get a license to use >the Star interface. Xerox says OK; the two companies >come to some financial arrangement over the transaction. Wrong. Apple did nothing of the sort. They just saw Xerox's work at some introductory gathering and copied it. >If so, then Apple's suits against Microsoft and HP may >indeed have some merit (I'm no lawyer). If Xerox's agreement [stuff deleted ...] >Following this line of reason: Do Microsoft and HP have >licenses with Xerox? Your guess is as good as mine. Yes they do. And if I remember right, so does Sun, and a couple of other corporations that market GUIs. -- >>>> Chris Newbold <<<< * "If you fool around with a thing for very long you * University of Rochester * will screw it up." * Disclaimer: "All warranties expire upon payment of invoice." ctne_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu * uhura.cc.rochester.edu!ctne_ltd@uunet