Linux companies settle copyright suit
Two companies that sell Linux for computing devices such as network equipment or DVD players have settled a lawsuit involving alleged mishandling of open-source software.
MontaVista Software accused its competitor Lineo in April 2002 of selling software that originally came from MontaVista and had its copyright notices removed, said Jason Wachal, MontaVista's lead lawyer. MontaVista filed suit in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City.
"It appeared to us that Lineo, which was still in its original incarnation, was distributing computer software to its customers or potential customers that had code in it that appeared to be written by MontaVista but that had all of the MontaVista copyright information stripped out of it," Wacha said.
Lineo later renamed itself Embedix, which was acquired by Motorola subsidiary Metrowerks in December 2002. The suit was settled in the third quarter of 2003, Wacha said. Terms of the settlement are sealed.
