Microsoft gets litigious with Linux minnow

All I want for Xmas is a lawsuit...

Microsoft has ended the year on a legal note and filed a motion with a US court to prevent a Linux company from using the name Lindows. The software giant told the court that the name infringed on its own Windows trademark. Microsoft does not want to stop the company from producing Linux software, said a spokesman, it just wants to prevent customers becoming confused by the similar names. In the filing, Microsoft claims the start up is trying to confuse Lindows with Windows and asks that the name be changed. However, Lindows has yet to release a product. The company has developed technology based on the Wine project - an open source initiative to mimics the commands used in Windows programmes but based on the Linux kernel. Michael Robertson, former CEO at MP3com and current founder of Lindows, claimed there was zero chance of anyone confusing Microsoft with Lindows.com If people are confused, he added, just remember that we are not the convicted monopolist.