Will Lindows' legal troubles frighten companies away from Linux desktops?

Will Lindows' legal troubles frighten companies away from Linux desktops?

Although Lindows managed to fend off Microsoft in the US, they've been challenged in Canada and beaten in several European countried. To what extent do you think these legal battles will scare off companies from adopting Lindows -- and/or other Linux desktops?

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To the best of my knowledge, the issue with Lindows in Europe has largely been one of trademark infringement, not copyright or patent infringement. To the extent that this is correct, it's a matter of changing the name and perhaps any associated marks. Guessing about the extent to which potential Linux customers will stay away from Linux products as a result of this litigation is beyond the scope of my knowledge and background in this area.

This was first published in March 2004