[archangel_one]

Well, not quite. Lindows certainly wasn't around before MS. According to Wikipedia the company was founded in 2001. Edit: On further reading, Microsoft didn't manage to force them to change over in court - they just paid $20 million and Lindows changed over. Hardly "destroyed" them.

Windows is an English word, however that doesn't mean it doesn't enjoy some trademark protection in an arrangement like "Microsoft Windows". The protection is not as significant as it would be on an invented word (like, say, "Microsoft") but it's still there if you come up with something that's judged to be similar enough to cause confusion.

Similarly, try founding an IT company called Apple and see how far you get - that's an English word too.