TECHNOLOGY - April 13, 1995
<i> Times Staff and Wire Reports</i>
Wang, Microsoft Join in New Venture: In a settlement of a patent dispute over an emerging software technology, Lowell, Mass.-based Wang Laboratories Inc. and Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. agreed to work together to turn the technology--known as object linking and embedding, or OLE--into an industry standard. Wang sued Microsoft in July, 1993, claiming it owned the OLE patent. With the settlement, Microsoft agreed to purchase $90 million of Wang preferred stock, representing 10% of Wang’s common stock after conversion. The venture faces a tough coalition, including Apple, IBM and Novell, that has similar technology.
