April 3, 2008 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Microsoft (microsoft.com) and Symantec (symantec.com) have agreed to settle on a lawsuit filed two years ago regarding the use of Veritas code in Microsoft products, including Windows Vista.
The security solutions provider sued Microsoft in May 2006, claiming that Microsoft had incorporated without permission the Volume Manager software Symantec acquired in its purchase of Veritas in June 2005. Microsoft had formerly signed an agreement in 1996 with Veritas to license the software that enables operating systems to manage large amounts of data.
At the time, Symantec was asking for unspecified damages, as well as an injunction on the Vista operating system, which had already been delayed.
Both companies released this statement on Thursday outlining the lawsuit settlement:
“Microsoft and Symantec are pleased to have amicably resolved this dispute in a manner that reaffirms and extends our technical cooperation on volume management technologies. This agreement will produce significant benefits for our many mutual customers using mission-critical storage software technologies.”
Symantec spokesperson Cris Paden says the settlement bars either company from disclosing any further details beyond the statement, which mirrors the ambiguity of the original complaint filed in US District Court in Seattle, Washington.
