Because of those rulings, and related threats
of massive fines being imposed, Lindows stated that it could not remedy the situation without
changing its name.
The rulings supported Microsoft??™s contentions that Lindows infringed on the Microsoft Windows
trademark, and that Lindows could not allow citizens of those countries to access the Lindows Web
site or access products with the Lindows name. Because keeping any country??™s residents off of a
particular Web site would have proved very difficult, Lindows had to make some drastic changes,
most notably the alteration of its name.
Microsoft was still pursuing an injunction or summary judgment and would soon see its Windows
trademark challenged in court. To avoid a costly court battle, Microsoft offered a reported $20 million
and some other items, including some technology licensing, to settle the case. Linspire accepted,
and that was the end of the dispute.
Early in 2006, Linspire, Inc. announced the launch of the Freespire project. Rather than being a
corporate product, Freespire is to be developed in the tried-and-true Linux style via an open community
of developers and users communicating over the Internet. As well as expanding Linspire's
user base beyond the core constituency of consumers and Windows converts to more experienced
(or at least more adventurous) users, Freespire serves as a test bed for future versions of Linspire.
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