Google, GPL, and Other Legal News

In response to a complaint by Google that Windows Vista violates the terms of Microsoft’s U.S. antitrust settlement, Microsoft has agreed to make some changes to Vista’s desktop search feature in Vista SP1, which is expected in 2008. In other legal news, the company claimed that its agreement with Novell does not bind it to the next version of the GNU General Public License (GPL) under which Linux is distributed and sued force-feedback technology company Immersion to enforce terms of a previous settlement.

Google Complaints

Microsoft is required to file regular status reports as part of its 2002 antitrust settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and several states. In a June 2007 status report, Microsoft revealed it will change Vista’s desktop search feature in response to complaints from Google.

The final judgment in the U.S. antitrust case included some restrictions on adding new features to Windows. In particular, when Microsoft includes features that the consent decree defines as “middleware” (such as Web browsers and media players), it must take certain steps to ensure that end users and OEMs can easily use competing applications rather than using the Microsoft middleware by default.