Symantec Files Suit Against Hotbar in Adware Case; Court Asked For Ruling On Symantec's Right To Empower Customers To Detect and Remove Adware Program Files

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 2005--Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMC), the global leader in information security, today announced that it has filed suit against Hotbar.com, Inc. The suit asks the court for a ruling supporting Symantec's right to detect certain Hotbar program files as adware and to empower customers with the ability to remove the files from their computers.

Symantec is not seeking damages as part of the suit. Symantec is petitioning for a declaratory judgment by the court affirming Symantec's assertion that certain Hotbar program files are indeed adware and can be treated as computer security risks.

“Through this effort, we're trying to ensure that our customers have more control over the programs that run on their computers.”

"By asking the court for clarification on this issue in our favor, we hope to continue alerting our customers about the presence of these program files, protecting them against possible security risks," said Joy Cartun, senior director of legal affairs for Symantec. "Through this effort, we're trying to ensure that our customers have more control over the programs that run on their computers."

The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division.

About Symantec

Symantec is the global leader in information security providing a broad range of software, appliances and services designed to help individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises secure and manage their IT infrastructure. Symantec's Norton brand of products is the worldwide leader in consumer security and problem-solving solutions. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in more than 35 countries. More information is available at http://www.symantec.com.

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