The lawsuit was filed in 1988 and lasted four years the decision was affirmed on appeal in 1994, and Apple's appeal to the U.S. Apple lost all claims in the Microsoft suit except for the ruling that the trash can icon and folder icons from Hewlett-Packard's NewWave windows application were infringing. The district court dismissed Xerox's claims without addressing whether Apple's GUI infringed Xerox's. Microsoft lawsuit, Xerox also sued Apple alleging that Mac's GUI was heavily based on Xerox's.

The court ruled that, 'Apple cannot get patent-like protection for the idea of a graphical user interface, or the idea of a desktop metaphor. (now Apple Inc.) sought to prevent Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard from using visual graphical user interface (GUI) elements that were similar to those in Apple's Lisa and Macintosh operating systems. 1994), was a copyright infringement lawsuit in which Apple Computer, Inc.

Microsoft Corporation, 35 F.3d 1435 ( 9th Cir. (CCH) ¶ 27,301, 32 U.S.P.Q.2d 1086įerdinand Francis Fernandez, Pamela Ann Rymer, Thomas G. Microsoft Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Co.ģ5 F.3d 1435 63 USLW 2259, 1994 Copr. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitĪpple Computer, Inc.