Timeline claims victory in SQL Server case

A Washington court has issued a judgement against Microsoft Corp. in a case that could prove costly for certain customers and partners who use its SQL Server database, according to software vendor Timeline Inc., which opposed Microsoft in the case.

In a judgement issued Friday, the Washington Superior Court of King County confirmed that a 1999 licensing agreement between the two companies limits Microsoft's ability to "sublicense" patented technology that was developed by Timeline and employed by Microsoft in SQL Server, Timeline said in a statement Wednesday.

The judgement means that certain customers, independent software vendors and other parties who have customized SQL Server by adding programs to it will have to pay Timeline a licensing fee for the use of its technology, according to Charlie Osenbaugh, chief executive officer at Timeline, in Bellevue, Washington.

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