Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Go Computer founder in antitrust suit
By Eric Auchard and Reed Stevenson Tue Jul 5, 4:33 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) - The founder of Go Computer, a pioneer of pen-based computing that was once seen as a possible alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s operating systems, filed antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft last week.
In parallel complaints filed last Wednesday in U.S. federal and California state courts, Jerry Kaplan, the founder of Go Computer Inc., seeks to piggyback on a wave of successful antitrust actions that Microsoft has settled in recent years.
Microsoft settled a landmark antitrust case with the U.S. government in 2002 that was followed by agreements with several U.S. states, the
European Union and industry rivals.
The Go case was filed one day before a settlement deal was struck between Microsoft and IBM in which Microsoft agreed to pay $775 million and provide some additional credits to IBM.
Go Computer, which was founded by Kaplan in 1987, created operating software that relied on a special pen and handwriting recognition system to control computers instead of the keyboards used by Microsoft's DOS and Windows software. Go was a forerunner to development of Palm handheld computers.
"Microsoft saw Go's PC operating system as a serious threat to its operating system monopoly and took swift covert action to 'kill' it just as it did the Netscape/Sun Java threat to its monopoly," according to Go's private action in federal court.
The U.S. antitrust case centered on Microsoft's efforts to crush rival software from Web browser pioneer Netscape Communications Corp. and allies such as Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq:SUNW - news). Sun pioneered Java, a programming system that allows software to run on a wide range of computers.
In the late 1980s, Go's operating system PenPoint, was designed to make computers easier to use. In some respects, the idea lives on in Microsoft-based tablet computers that allow users to input data via keyboard or handwriting on a screen.
Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said in a statement the assertions in the Go case were without merit.
"These claims date back nearly 20 years," Drake said. "They were baseless then, and they are baseless now."
The suit alleges Microsoft pressured Intel Corp. (Nasdaq:INTC - news) to curtail its financial backing of Go and used "incentives and threats" to force Compaq, now part of Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ - news), Fujitsu Ltd. (6702.T), Toshiba Corp. (6502.T) and other PC makers not to use Go software.
Drake responded that Go and Kaplan did not invent handwriting recognition.
"Handwriting recognition had severe limitations in the late 1980's and early 1990's and no company that attempted pen computing was successful then," she said.
Go was sold to AT&T Corp. in 1994, which closed the company in July of the same year. In November of 1994, Microsoft shut down its competing pen-computing effort, called PenWindows, which the suit alleges had largely existed to destroy Go.
The assets subsequently became part of AT&T spinoff Lucent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:LU - news). Lucent sold Go Computer Inc. and its claims to Kaplan three months ago in April 2005, the suit said. The Go complaint argues the statute of limitations for events stretching back as much as 17 years ago has been delayed by Microsoft's illegal behavior, allowing the case to proceed.
Some of the claims made by Kaplan were detailed in a popular business memoir he published in 1995 detailing the rise and fall of his company entitled "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure." The suits also rely heavily on evidence that was subsequently unearthed in antitrust cases against Microsoft.
The suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and in Superior Court for the State of California. Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel Pllc, which has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in antitrust cases, is the plaintiff's counsel.
source: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=581&e=2&u=/nm/20050705/tc_nm/tech_microsoft_antitrust_dc
SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) - The founder of Go Computer, a pioneer of pen-based computing that was once seen as a possible alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s operating systems, filed antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft last week.
In parallel complaints filed last Wednesday in U.S. federal and California state courts, Jerry Kaplan, the founder of Go Computer Inc., seeks to piggyback on a wave of successful antitrust actions that Microsoft has settled in recent years.
Microsoft settled a landmark antitrust case with the U.S. government in 2002 that was followed by agreements with several U.S. states, the
European Union and industry rivals.
The Go case was filed one day before a settlement deal was struck between Microsoft and IBM in which Microsoft agreed to pay $775 million and provide some additional credits to IBM.
Go Computer, which was founded by Kaplan in 1987, created operating software that relied on a special pen and handwriting recognition system to control computers instead of the keyboards used by Microsoft's DOS and Windows software. Go was a forerunner to development of Palm handheld computers.
"Microsoft saw Go's PC operating system as a serious threat to its operating system monopoly and took swift covert action to 'kill' it just as it did the Netscape/Sun Java threat to its monopoly," according to Go's private action in federal court.
The U.S. antitrust case centered on Microsoft's efforts to crush rival software from Web browser pioneer Netscape Communications Corp. and allies such as Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq:SUNW - news). Sun pioneered Java, a programming system that allows software to run on a wide range of computers.
In the late 1980s, Go's operating system PenPoint, was designed to make computers easier to use. In some respects, the idea lives on in Microsoft-based tablet computers that allow users to input data via keyboard or handwriting on a screen.
Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said in a statement the assertions in the Go case were without merit.
"These claims date back nearly 20 years," Drake said. "They were baseless then, and they are baseless now."
The suit alleges Microsoft pressured Intel Corp. (Nasdaq:INTC - news) to curtail its financial backing of Go and used "incentives and threats" to force Compaq, now part of Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ - news), Fujitsu Ltd. (6702.T), Toshiba Corp. (6502.T) and other PC makers not to use Go software.
Drake responded that Go and Kaplan did not invent handwriting recognition.
"Handwriting recognition had severe limitations in the late 1980's and early 1990's and no company that attempted pen computing was successful then," she said.
Go was sold to AT&T Corp. in 1994, which closed the company in July of the same year. In November of 1994, Microsoft shut down its competing pen-computing effort, called PenWindows, which the suit alleges had largely existed to destroy Go.
The assets subsequently became part of AT&T spinoff Lucent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:LU - news). Lucent sold Go Computer Inc. and its claims to Kaplan three months ago in April 2005, the suit said. The Go complaint argues the statute of limitations for events stretching back as much as 17 years ago has been delayed by Microsoft's illegal behavior, allowing the case to proceed.
Some of the claims made by Kaplan were detailed in a popular business memoir he published in 1995 detailing the rise and fall of his company entitled "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure." The suits also rely heavily on evidence that was subsequently unearthed in antitrust cases against Microsoft.
The suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and in Superior Court for the State of California. Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel Pllc, which has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in antitrust cases, is the plaintiff's counsel.
source: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=581&e=2&u=/nm/20050705/tc_nm/tech_microsoft_antitrust_dc
# posted by dark master : 7/06/2005 09:43:00 AM
