What Happened on March 17th

Apple Computer sues Microsoft for copyright infringement over the graphical user interface (GUI) of its operating system. After Apple developed the highly successful Macintosh GUI in 1984, Microsoft released their Windows operating system, which had some similarities in its GUI’s look and feel. Under terms of a confidential agreement signed between the two companies in 1985, Microsoft consented to acknowledging that their GUI was derived from that of the Macintosh. In return, Apple gave Microsoft license to use the design in its software. A judge eventually decided Apple had only limited rights to the design.