Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1998/12/16/great_software_satan_sued/

Great Software Satan sued for abusing mice

Little US company wants $1 billion from Microsoft

By Roland Rat

Posted in On-Prem, 16th December 1998 09:24 GMT

Microsoft is facing a $1 billion law suit from a US company for allegedly nicking a mouse design. According to US title Infoworld, Goldtouch has taken the action against Microsoft for alleged theft of trade secrets, fraud and patent infringement. The mouse design in question is the so-called ergonomic mouse, a curvy 1995 design which Mark Goldstein, president of Goldtouch, claims he showed Microsoft. Goldtouch is a specialist in ergonomic add-ons and has licensed keyboards to both IBM and Lexmark, the US paper says. Subsequently, Microsoft is alleged to have used that design in the IntelliMouse Pro. There's big money in mice and that is why Goldtouch wants $1 billion from Microsoft. ®