News
Microsoft Appeals Java Court Ruling
- By Scott Bekker
- 01/14/1999
Microsoft Corp. has formally asked an appeals court to overturn a preliminary injunction issued last November that requires the company to modify the Java implementation in Windows and Internet Explorer in order to bring them into compliance with Sun's standards.
Microsoft's attorneys argue in the appeal that the district court incorrectly interpreted the licensing contract and applied incorrect legal standards in granting a preliminary injunction. According to Microsoft, the court should not have accepted Sun's argument that Microsoft had violated Sun's copyright instead of treating the dispute as a contractual issue. Microsoft also contends the court misinterpreted an agreement regarding support for Sun's Java Native Interface (JNI) and compatibility tests for Microsoft's Java compiler.
Microsoft said it would continue to comply with the injunction until it is overturned. However, it has requested a three-month extension of the court's deadline for compliance. A hearing on that issue is scheduled for January 15. Sun's suit against Microsoft is expected to go to trial sometime this year. -- Michele Rosen, Staff Reporter, New York Correspondent
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.