10 of the biggest brand feuds in history

Companies suing each other is a fairly common occurrence, especially when it comes to copyright.

Over the years some of the biggest brands have also taken each other to court.

The outcomes of some of these lawsuits have shaped entire industries. Had Apple's lawsuit against Microsoft in 1998 gone the other way, computers might look entirely different today.

Scroll below for a list of some of the biggest brand lawsuits in history, compiled by Lottoland.

SEE ALSO: The world's top 10 companies, ranked by reputation

10. Dyson vs. Hoover (2000)

Duration: One year

Winner: Dyson

Damages: $4.9 million

Dispute: In its lawsuit, Dyson claimed Hoover had infringed on a patent it owned for its bagless vacuum cleaner, which uses forces similar to a centrifuge to separate dust from the air.

In its Vortex range, Hoover used the same technology, which the court found infringed on James Dyson's invention. Hoover appealed twice but lost both times and Dyson then accepted the settlement offer to avoid further litigation. Hoover was also told to stop selling its Vortex model.

9. Oracle vs. SAP (2007)

Duration: Seven years

Winner: Oracle

Damages: $357 million

Dispute: The lawsuit focused on SAP's TomorrowNow unit, which Oracle alleged had illegally downloaded copyrighted documents and programs from Oracle.

SAP admitted it had infringed on copyright and initially tried to settle out of court, before a jury awarded Oracle $1.3 billion in damages. The amount was later brought down to $357 million, which both companies accepted.

8. 20th Century Fox vs. Universal Studios (1978)

Duration: Two years

Winner: Universal Studios

Damages: Unknown

Dispute: After 20th Century Fox's successful release of the first "Star Wars" film in 1977, Universal Studios decided it needed a space fiction story of its own and launched "Battlestar Galactica".

The lawsuit accused Universal of copyright infringement, highlighting 34 specific things allegedly copied, including: "There is a scene in a cantina (Star Wars) or casino (Battlestar), in which musical entertainment is offered by bizarre, non-human creatures."

The case was settled out of court and ABC, where the TV show aired, canceled the show in 1979.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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