Lindows Takes a Hit in the Netherlands

diersing writes "The Register has the latest on it. Resellers of the Linux distribution Lindows in the Netherlands were ordered today to stop selling the product. Amsterdam judge Rullmann agreed with Microsoft that in many ways Lindows is 'profiting from the success of Windows' by infringing on Microsoft's trademarks." This seems to be a rather common occurrence lately.

No advertising

[carou]

The Californian company isn't even allowed to advertise in the Low Countries any longer and, even more remarkable, the judge has ordered Lindows to make its Web site inaccessible to Benelux-based web users.

Another case of Microsoft pushing Security Through Obscurity?

It's not so bad

[tobybuk]

Lots of people will get to hear 'Lindows' as a result of MS legal action who wouldn't have normally.

As they say, all publicity is good publicity.

I wonder what Michael's next trick will be.

Seriously..

[Azureflare]

Could Lindows have made any worse choice of a name? Why did they think they could use Lindows and get away with it?

I think either:
(1) The marketing people are lazy
(2) They feel they can get a leg up by sounding more like "Windows"
(3) They thought Microsoft will be nice to them. (BWAHHHHAHHAAHAA .. Aha... ha...)

Throw in the fact that Lindows looks SUSPICIOUSLY like Windows XP, and I think Lindows doesn't really have a leg to stand on.

Lindows' Name

[Ianoo]

I've always thought Lindows and "LindowsOS" as they prefer it to be called sounded rather silly anyway. I think Lindows is a nice idea, and a good product, and an excellent way to get more people using Linux. However, much as I dislike some of Microsoft's business practices, I do think the name is too close, and I can see the judgement's point.

Why not just call it Winux instead? ;)

"profiting from the success of " Linux/Unix

[Anonymous Coward]

Could you argue that Linux profits from the success for Unix because it sounds similar?

Point of the judgement

[Riddles]

The whole point of the judgement is that the judge thinks that Microsoft has proven that Lindows chose the name Lindows because of its relation to Windows. And, since Windows is a registered trademark in the Netherlands, this is obviously an infringement. Remember, Windows in Dutch has no other meaning as it does in English; it is not a common word.

Nobody can really claim that they chose Lindows for any other reason than the similarity to Windows. They could have chosen a lot of other cool names as Xandros and others have done. They didn't and they made the choice realizing that they might get into legal trouble for doing so.

Re:TRanslated from dutch website

[afree87]

Also the judge ruled that Lindows must ensure that internet users from the Benelux [BElgium NEtherlands LUXembourg] can no longer access the site www.lindows.com.

Another hit for free speech... I don't even see how that makes sense.

Re:Lindows' Name

[ScoF]

Why not just call it Winux instead?

Wouldn't we all be up in arms if Microsoft (sorry my $ key is broken) came out with something related to the name of a Linux distribution? Slackdows, Windrake... yadda yadda...

I Agree (and put on asbestos underwear)

[RAMMS+EIN]

I am afraid that this is not going to be a very popular opinion on /., but I have to say I agree with the judge.

Lindows makes a product that is similar in name, appearance, and function to MicroSoft's. They have advertised it as an alternative to Windows. They are clearly out to get people to switch from Windows to LindowsOS by imitating MicroSoft's product. They are just asking for it.

By the way, it's a tried and true tactic:

1. Piss people off
2. Get publicity
3. PROFIT!!!

</rant>

Re:Seriously..

[Anonymous Coward]

No, it's:

(4) Use a very similar name to the very trademarked product name of your competitor in order to get said competitor to persue legal action which has more than a leg to stand on and then ride the wave of publicity and pretend to be a martyr to get sympathy from people on Slashdot.

Make it Lindos

[Tuqui]

change the name to Lindos or LindOS, in spanish it means samething like pretty

Re:"profiting from the success of " Linux/Unix

[SkankhodBeeblebrox]

No, because Linux and Unix do NOT, in fact, sound similar...

Linux /li'nuks/

Unix /yoo'niks/

(Pronounciations stolen graciously from http://www.dictionary.com [dictionary.com]

Re:"profiting from the success of " Linux/Unix

[diersing]

Valid point, but.....

The success of Linux has been based by an internet-sauvy grass roots movement that created a whole community of like minded people. I think its the concept more then the name that can be credited.

As far as profits, the commerical releases of SuSE, RedHat, Mandrake, etc all have names that aren't easily confused with UNIX (where Lindows does mimic a commerical rival and desktop market monolopy owner).

Seems to me...

[Reteo Varala]

Seems to me that Lindows chose that name specifically to leech off of Microsoft's mindshare. Let's face it, can you give me another reason that would explain that choice in names?

Add to this that the distribution acts a little too dangerously like Windows (complete with the default-administrator-user access), and I can't really say that Microsoft isn't justified in it's attacks on this company.

I work in software retail, and one thing I notice is the number of people who are under the mistaken impression that Lindows is Windows. Add to that the number of people who think it's binary compatibility is perfect (it'll run all their old windows apps). I've yet to see Wine reach that level of accuracy.

I will generally ward people away from this distribution, and point to the green or blue SuSE boxes on the shelf nearby; that's just as easy, and much more secure. (I used to point to the Redhat boxes, but since the personal version has been discontinued, it's more cost-effective for customers to buy SuSE)

yeah, so what?

[twitter]

Nobody can really claim that they chose Lindows for any other reason than the similarity to Windows.

Duh, it's Linux that acts like Windows, Lindows, what's wrong with that? No one is going to get confused are they? Lindows does not claim to be from Microsoft. They have claimed some interoperability and ease of use for a Windows user.

The name is just fine and the trend of monopolizing varients of names is a distrubing new piece of anti-comptitive stupidity. Take it to it's logical conclusion. Is there any name that anyone can use to imply something simply works like or with Windoze? Does IBM still own the names "PC", "personal computer" and "personal system"? No one can do anything if you get too stupid and complient.

Microsoft is proving that many governments are for sale.

Re:Sure...

[Mr. Troll]

If they aren't trying to mimic MS Windows then why take a name so remarkably close to it? It is so totally obvious. Lindows is trying to ride on Ms's coat tails. The product may be totally different, but that isn't the point. Its just like that Panaphonics VCR, or that Magnetbox TV...

Why not try "Linux ADVANCE OS" or something. Hell, Linux itself is becoming a buzzword now....

Re:Seriously..

[Anonymous Coward]

Why did they think they could use Lindows and get away with it?

Because "Windows" is a generic term, and not Microsoft's trademark. What, you think Microsoft were the first to call an area of the screen a "window"? This is a fucking stupid ruling. If it were called Licrosoft Lindows, then they would have a legitimate case.

Lindows isn't as bad as it's made out to be...

[ClassicG]

I tried the recently-released "Developer Edition" that they were giving away a short while back, and I actually was rather impressed. Lindows has to have the most out-of-the-box polish I've ever seen in a commercial distribution. No, it's not very friendly to those of us who know their way around a computer already, but that's not the market they are targeting. It's not exactly going to replace Gentoo on my system, but I could definately see myself recommending Lindows to others.

The only real problem that I had with it was getting it to not mess up my boot settings. Though it can dual-boot with Windows easily enough, it does NOT play nice with other versions of Linux, and it took me a while to get it to not reset the MBR with it's own settings every time it booted. (Solution: delete/rename/remove executable permissions for /sbin/jiffyboot). Other than that though, I liked what I saw. Click-and-run might be the best system update tool I've seen outside of portage, and it has even Gentoo beat in the newbie-friendliness department.

poor Linux fanboys

[diablobynight]

Lindows

Windows

If i made a company that sold pop and called it Soca-Cola Company, and made the cans red, I think I would get sued by Coke and no one would think that Coca-Cola was wrong, and similarly if I was using Soca-Cola.com to push and sell my wares I would expect it to get shut down, since the judge can't shut it down he asked for the next best thing. Yes there are work arounds, and if you want to work around the law I am sure you can get away with murder too. The fact is Lindows wanted to sound like Windows as either joke or whatever, and quite honestly lindows works like windows and feels like windows. This is a good lawsuit and I wish you could open your eyes for ten seconds and see past the haze of Microsoft hate to see that this is legitimate.

Re:Sure...

[Mr. Troll]

Please tell me you're kidding. Do you acutally think MS is going to call their next gen OS "Longhorn" once it is released? They have spent YEARS building that brand name, they aren't just going to abandon it...

New from Microsoft, LONGHORN!
"Dude, what's longhorn"
"It's their new OS"
"You mean like Windows?"
"Yeah"