AOL Time Warner initiated a lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. Tuesday in response to a June 2001 federal appeals court ruling against the software giant.
In a move that widens the Microsoft's legal battles, AOL sued for unspecified monetary damages and restrictions on Microsoft's conduct on behalf of Netscape Communications Corp.
By the time Netscape was purchased by AOL for $10 billion in 1999 the company was in tatters, its Navigator software having been overwhelmed by Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Microsoft contends it competed fairly and that Internet Explorer was deemed superior by consumers. However two federal courts have ruled that Microsoft, fearing that Web browsers could be the next platform for major software advances, employed illegal tactics to shut off distribution channels for Navigator.
