Java War Perks Up as Sun Sues Microsoft

Sun Microsystems(SUNW Quote - Cramer on SUNW - Stock Picks) sued longtime rival Microsoft(MSFT Quote - Cramer on MSFT - Stock Picks) Friday, claiming unfair business practices undermined Sun's Java software.

The suit stems, in part, from Microsoft's decision to ship its Windows XP operating system without any support for Sun's Java software. Sun seeks damages north of $1 billion, the company said in a conference call, adding that it's willing to talk.

The suit comes just six weeks after another longtime Microsoft foe, AOL Time Warner(AOL Quote - Cramer on AOL - Stock Picks), sued the Redmond, Wash., software giant over the decline of its Netscape Navigator Internet browser. Both suits come on the heels of the government's long-running case against Microsoft, in which the company was found to have violated antitrust law, and in the wake of dozens of other consumer and state suits.

All three stocks were higher at midday Friday, with AOL and Microsoft up fractionally and Sun up 15% behind a solid Thursday afternoon financial forecast.