CyberMedia Wins Ruling in Symantec Copyright Suit

Symantec Corp. was ordered on Friday to stop selling a version of its Norton UnInstaller Deluxe program and to issue a recall to distributors, in a court victory for Santa Monica-based CyberMedia Inc.

San Jose U.S. District Judge Jeremy Vogel issued the preliminary injunction, ruling that CyberMedia is likely to prove that Symantec infringed its copyright for its UnInstaller program.

The programs remove unwanted software and files from personal computer hard-disk drives.

“Line upon line of the two codes are identical or nearly identical, even to the extent of containing a common typographical error,” Vogel wrote. He told Symantec to warn its distributors that they could be liable if they sell a version of the program that infringes on CyberMedia’s program. “We feel vindicated by the ruling and will be seeking a significant damages recovery at trial,” CyberMedia Chief Executive Kanwal Rekhi said in a statement.

Richard Saunders, a spokesman for Cupertino-based Symantec, said the company has been shipping a new version of Norton UnInstaller Deluxe.