Lindows forced to halt trading in Benelux
Found on The Inquirer on Thursday, 11 March 2004
Software firm Lindows said that it has been threatened with a €100,000 per day fine if people in Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands attempt to access its site.
The request to levy the fine was made to a court by Microsoft.
The CEO of the firm said that as it was impossible to comply with a broad court order blocking visitors from Benelux, and so Lindows has withdrawn its products from these markets.
Microsoft argues that Lindows, a graphical version of the Linux OS, is similar to its own non-Linux Windows, and users might get confused between the one and the other.
Does MS think it can force customers not to use other operating systems? Good products don't need the backup of a huge PR and machine and court orders.