US: After two decades, Windows 95 antitrust suit nears end

A US appeals court has sided with Microsoft in a two decade-long antitrust lawsuit launched by Novell Inc. over the company’s Windows 95 operating system, signifying a potential end to the feud.

The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued the decision Monday upholding a lower court’s ruling that tossed the claims against Microsoft. Novell accuses Microsoft of making last-minute changes to Windows 95 before its release that forced Novell to postpone the release of its WordPerfect program.

According to the complaint, those last-minute changes cost Novell a major share of the market.

A mistrial had been declared after a two month hearing in 2011 after one juror refused to abandon his support of Microsoft. The 10th Circuit issued a 35-page ruling agreeing siding with US District Court Judge J. Frederick Motz, who declared the mistrial and approved Microsoft’s motion that the company was legally entitled to win the lawsuit.

Full Content: The Salt Lake Tribune

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