Amaya Toman In 1995, Apple "celebrated" Valentine's Day in a really unconventional way. On that day, it expanded the lawsuit it originally filed against the San Francisco developer Canyon Company to include Microsoft and Intel. The defendants allegedly stole Apple's source code, which was then used to improve the Video for Windows framework technology. As part of the lawsuit, Apple threatened Microsoft with financial sanctions in the order of billions of dollars, to which the then director of Microsoft, Bill Gates, responded by threatening to end the availability of the Office package for Mac.
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When Apple enabled video playback on its computers in 1990, it outpaced many of its competitors. In November 1992, thanks to Apple's agreement with the Canyon Company, QuickTime technology also came to computers with the Windows operating system. In July of that year, Intel hired Canyon to help improve its Video for Windows technology.
Difficulties arose when Apple claimed that the resulting software contained several thousand lines of code created while Canyon was still under contract with the Cupertino company. Apple decided to file a lawsuit against the developer, in which it also included Intel and Microsoft in February 1995. Before long, a federal judge ordered Microsoft to stop distributing the then-current version of Video for Windows. This was followed by the release of a new version with the note that it does not include the driver code licensed by Intel Corporation.
Apple launched its attack at a time when Microsoft was on top with its Windows 95. The Cupertino firm accused Microsoft of trying to undermine it by withholding beta versions of its new operating system. At the time, Microsoft provided its software to roughly 40 independent software developers, but Apple refused to provide it until it dropped all of its lawsuits. Among his other demands was the cancellation of OpenDoc - the framework with which Apple was supposed to compete with technology from Microsoft. A Microsoft spokeswoman at the time said the company had no obligation to provide beta versions of its software to Apple.
The whole dispute took over in August 1997, when Apple acceded to Microsoft's demands and withdrew all lawsuits - including the one related to the QuickTim source code. He also agreed to make Internet Explorer the default browser for Macs (before it was replaced by Safari). Microsoft, in turn, purchased $150 million worth of non-voting Apple stock and continued to support the Mac software side.
