Software company SuSE Linux has been forced to stop shipments of
its open-source operating system in Germany after a temporary
injunction was issued in a copyright case.
An unnamed plaintiff has filed suit and shipments were halted at
the beginning of this week, said SuSE spokesman Christian Egle. He
added, however, that copies of the software already in the
distribution pipeline can still be sold.
"SuSE Linux is still available at bookstores and specialist
computer shops," he said. "We're in contact with the other party
(in the lawsuit) and are hopeful for a good conclusion."
He declined to give further details about the case and the
plaintiff's attorney was not immediately available for
comment.
A source close to the company said, however, that the dispute
centres around a graphics program SuSE calls "Krayon," whose name
closely resembles that of "Crayon" brand graphics software
published by Crayon Vertriebs, a spin-off of Seidel
Softwareservice.