Apple filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and HP (Hewlett-Packard) in 1988 over display screen graphics. In 1985, Apple and Microsoft entered a licensing agreement whereby each company was allowed to use certain products from its competitor. Microsoft then issued a sub-license to HP and, according to Apple, both companies used more from the Apple display screen than the licensing agreement allowed. The court concluded Microsoft’s use of graphics and icons were manifestations of function rather than unlawful duplication of original ideas. Apple was required to meet a higher burden of proof than expected, underlining how subjective copyright application truly is. They appealed but the original ruling was upheld.