Wang Laboratories Inc may have had Microsoft Corp in a hammerlock over the latter’s infringement of its imaging patents, but by settling the dispute on terms favourable to Wang, the company has won itself an important new ally in the battle to get Windows NT established in the market currently dominated by Unix, because Wang just went out and paid $20m for Sigma Imaging Systems Inc (CI No 2,708) – and Sigma specialises in imaging technology for Windows NT. It had a major OEM agreement under which Unisys Corp took its software OEM, and this week, Unisys stepped forward to say it was quite happy for Wang to buy Sigma, and that it was entering into a strategic relationship with Wang.Wang’s selection of the Sigma technology as the basis for its thrust into the Windows NT imaging software marketplace fully endorses Unisys investment in the technology, Unisys commented. Wang became Microsoft’s preferred vendor of imaging and workflow software as part of the patent infringement settlement, and Wang imaging technology will now be incorporated as standard desktop features in future releases of Windows95 and Windows NT.
