Lindows renamed as "Linspire"

and MS gives 20mil bounty...

[Chndru]

Microsoft will pay upstart Linux seller Lindows $20 million to settle a long-running trademark dispute, according to a regulatory document filed Monday.

In exchange for the payment, Lindows--which recently renamed most of its products "Linspire" to work around European trademark suits--will give up the Lindows name and assign related Web domains to Microsoft, according to the registration statement Lindows filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[zdnet.com.com...]

[bartek]

There is a bit more to it than just a name...
Here are the details of the "Confidential" Settlement Agreement [sec.gov]

[isitreal]

5. Acknowledgement of Validity of Windows Trademarks

a. Lindows, and successors in interest hereby recognize and acknowledge Microsoft's ownership rights in and to the trademark Windows worldwide and all of the goodwill associated therewith.

In case you're wondering why MS dropped this and agreed to pay $20,000,000, this is it, pursuing this case meant that MS was looking at losing windows as a trademark, the judge had already suggested that the MS claim to 'windows' was not nearly as solid as MS wanted to believe, so MS needed this case to end before that issue might have been decided against them. Ha Ha Ha. Nice one linspire...