A
US
District Court on Friday dismissed four claims
made in a lawsuit filed by software firm Novell against Microsoft,
but two remain, alleging unfair competition by Microsoft in
relation to Novell’s WordPerfect and Quattro Pro applications in
the mid-1990s.
Novell claimed that Microsoft withheld certain critical
technical information about Windows from Novell, thereby impairing
Novell's ability to develop new versions of its word processor and
spreadsheet applications.
It also alleged that Microsoft integrated certain technologies
into Windows designed to exclude WordPerfect and other Novell
applications from relevant markets, and that Microsoft used its
monopoly power to prevent hardware partners from offering
WordPerfect and other applications to customers.
According to reports, Judge J. Frederick Motz allowed Novell to
proceed with two claims of unfair competition that are supported by
facts proved in the
US
Government’s successful
antitrust case against Microsoft. But he rejected the claims by
Novell about Microsoft's control of the markets for word processing
and spreadsheet applications that did not form part of the
case.
