NA demands NUD withdrawal from European market

Network Associates (NA) is pressing for a ruling it won against Symantec last month in the US to be extended to the UK and Europe, following Symantec's failure to stop selling NA's software in the region.

Cybermedia, bought by NA in July, alleged that anti-virus software rival Symantec uses code copied from one of its products in Norton Uninstall Deluxe (NUD). On 4 September, a US Federal Court ordered Symantec to withdraw NUD from distribution (PC Dealer, 16 September).

Aled Miles, UK sales and marketing director at Symantec, told PC Dealer that NUD would be removed from the SystemWorks suite and replaced with Quarterdeck's CleanSweep hard drive management software, 'subject to shareholder approval or disapproval on 16 November'.

Mike Dalton, European retail manager at NA, said: 'I wouldn't be surprised if Symantec was to use Quarterdeck's software. I think that was the plan all along, but it will take time to phase one product out and introduce another.'

In response, a Symantec representative told PC Dealer: 'The judge ruled that he wanted us to stop shipping and we have.

'Norton Uninstall Deluxe is a key component of SystemWorks, but we are a business and we need to move on,' he added.