COMPUTER SECURITY COMPANY SYMANTEC ASKED A FEDERAL COURT TO HALT THE LAUNCH OF MICROSOFT'S NEW VISTA OPERATING SYSTEM, SAYING THAT THE PROGRAMME INCLUDES TECHNOLOGY FROM SYMANTEC SUBSIDIARY VERITAS, DPA REPORTED. SYMANTEC ASKED THE SEATTLE-BASED COURT ON THURSDAY TO ORDER THE REMOVAL OF THE COMPANY'S STORAGE TECHNOLOGY FROM A VARIETY OF MICROSOFT PRODUCTS, INCLUDING WINDOWS XP, WINDOWS SERVER 2003, AND THE UPCOMING VISTA AND "LONGHORN" WINDOWS SERVER PRODUCTS, ACCORDING TO THE TECHNOLOGY NEWS SERVICE IDG. "WE'RE ASKING THEM TO REMOVE THE TECHNOLOGY, BECAUSE IT BELONGS TO US," A SYMANTEC SPOKESMAN SAID. THE DISPUTE STEMS FROM AN AGREEMENT IN AUGUST 1996 THAT GRANTED MICROSOFT THE RIGHT TO USE VERITAS SOFTWARE'S VOLUME MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY IN ITS WINDOWS NT PRODUCT. SYMANTEC LATER PURCHASED VERITAS IN A 10.2 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL AND CLAIMS THAT MICROSOFT ILLEGALLY USED THE TECHNOLOGY IN OTHER PRODUCTS. MICROSOFT CLAIMS THAT IT HAS THE RIGHT TO USE THE VERITAS TECHNOLOGY AND THE TWO COMPANIES HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REACH A COMPROMISE IN NEGOTIATIONS SINCE 2004, THE REPORT SAID. DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS HAVE PROMPTED MICROSOFT TO REPEATEDLY DELAY THE LAUNCH OF VISTA. THE COMPANY NOW SAYS IT WILL GO ON SALE IN JANUARY 2007.
