On This Day in Tech History

In 1997, Apple filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for copyright infringement, alleging that Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system infringed on Apple's copyrights for the Macintosh graphical user interface (GUI). Apple argued that the "look and feel" of Windows 95 was too similar to that of the Macintosh GUI, which Apple claimed was protected by copyright. Microsoft argued that GUI elements like menus and icons were functional elements of an operating system and not subject to copyright protection. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in 1997, with Microsoft agreeing to invest $150 million in Apple and make certain changes to Windows 95.