Apple Settles HyperCard Suit with Quickview
 
Microbytes Daily News Service
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Apple Computer has agreed to settle a patent-infringement lawsuit
over HyperCard. The suit, filed in September by Quickview
Systems, claimed that HyperCard infringes on the patents
Quickview received for its Zoomracks software. Late last week,
lawyers for both companies filed motions for dismissal of both
Quickview's suit against Apple and Apple's countersuit, which
sought to have a second Quickview patent invalidated.
 
According to Apple spokesperson Stacey Byrnes, the settlement
includes a patent cross-licensing agreement that will allow
HyperCard users and developers to continue using their software
on Apple products. Byrnes told Microbytes Daily that the license
should completely cover users of Apple products. "As long as
you're using or developing for HyperCard on Apple equipment,
you're covered," Byrnes said. "That's why we signed this
agreement."
 
Byrnes said the agreement won't necessarily protect users or
developers working with HyperCard clones. However, Quickview
founder Paul Heckel said that if a HyperCard clone was used on
Apple equipment, it would be covered. HyperCard-like software
running on non-Apple hardware will still be subject to licensing,
though, according to Heckel. "This settlement puts us in a much
stronger position to go after other infringers," he said.
 
In addition to receiving the license for HyperCard users and
developers, Apple will grant Quickview the right to use certain
Apple technology and allow Quickview to market its software
through APDA, the Apple Programmers and Developers Association.
Apple will also pay a cash settlement to Quickview, though the
amount was not disclosed. (In its original lawsuit, Quickview
asked for damages as well as a royalty on every copy of
HyperCard, which is bundled with every Macintosh.)
 
The settlement comes hard on the heels of a new lawsuit against
Apple by Xerox. Last Thursday, Xerox sued Apple, charging that
Apple had improperly collected royalties on technology that was
actually Xerox's. The technology in question is the Macintosh's
graphical user interface, which was influenced by the interface
of the Xerox Star workstation.
 
                              --- Frank Hayes
 
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