Windows 2000, Windows 2003 Server and Storage Server, and Windows XP have all included a licensed version of storage volume management code originally developed Veritas Software Corp, which is now owned by Symantec.
But for its Vista and Longhorn releases, Microsoft intends to switch to a home-grown volume manager, and end its reliance on Symantec. This is the root of the disagreement between the two companies, as Symantec alleges that the volume manager code that Microsoft intends to ship looks somewhat familiar to Symantec, and in fact infringes on its patents.
They’ve misappropriated our technology, a spokesman for Symantec said. The spokesman insisted that Symantec had called in its lawyers only very reluctantly, and only after it and Microsoft had spent a year attempting to negotiate a settlement.
It is possible that Symantec could delay Vista, if for example it won a court injunction preventing shipment of the disputed code before Vista’s planned year-end release. But Symantec, which has a sizeable business selling Windows-based software made that possibility seem remote.
On all other aspects the relationship between Symantec and Microsoft, it will be business as usual, the spokesman said.
