Microsoft Corp. will be able to keep its hold on the trademark rights for its Windows software for the next several months, but those rights appear to be in some jeopardy in a federal court case in Seattle.
In a ruling last week that was made public over the weekend, US District Judge John C. Coughenor of Seattle turned down a formal request by a Microsoft rival, Lindows.com Inc., to wipe out the trademark on Windows, which Microsoft has had for nearly eight years. It has become one of the world's best-known trademarks, and Microsoft regards it as highly valuable, having spent more than $1.2 billion to promote that identity.
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