Sun Seeks to Bar Microsoft Use of Java Logo

Sun Microsystems Inc. said it had formally asked a federal court to bar Microsoft Corp. from using Sun’s “Java Compatible” logo in relation to Microsoft’s Web browser. The request, in a filing made in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, extends Sun’s claim that Microsoft improperly modified Sun’s Java technology in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 4.0 browser, released at the end of September. Palo Alto-based Sun said it had received the support of 20 out of 25 national technical groups in the company’s drive to be designated as the international standard-setter for Java technologies. Sun also said two independent technical experts had confirmed that Microsoft’s products fail Sun’s compatibility tests. Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft said company lawyers were reviewing the Sun motions, but that so far they had seen nothing new and that Microsoft plans to continue shipping the products unchanged. On Oct. 7, Sun filed suit against Microsoft in federal court claiming the software giant had broken its 1996 Java license agreements by shipping products that were not fully compatible with Sun’s latest Java version, as required.