Is this component legal or not?

[gavinnosler]

At

http://mxoutlookpro.maxcomponents.net/

they sell components which are copies of UI components in Microsoft Office and Windows XP. Here is a JPEG of the component that copies the side bar navigation of Microsoft Office Outlook 2003...

http://mxoutlookpro.maxcomponents.net/img/navbar.jpg

I'm wondering if you used these in a commercial application, would there be legal problems? Could Microsoft sue you for duplicating their navigation style?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[svanels]

Depends, I think M$ would be vary glad if in your applications MS alike icons are used, their products will be more familiar through-out the world. Free propaganda and marketting of products without spending one (1) dollarcent. By the way they give out guidelines how to obtain the Windows look and feel.

On the other end, if you make an office suite (database, spreadsheet, word processor) and you are planning to make big money out of it, and the appearance of your application is almost exactly as M$ office, be prepared to fight some though battles. If your application suite is good, maybe they will buy your company. This way is easier to kill the competition.

Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr