Software maker Lindows Inc. on Tuesday filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of as much as $57.5 million in common stock.
The San Diego, California-based company, which said it was changing the name of its Linux-based operating system after a trademark dispute with Microsoft Corp., did not provide details as to the size and price of the proposed IPO.
Lindows, which competes with Microsoft's Windows operating system, changed its Lindows.com Web site to Linspire.com.
In a preliminary prospectus with the SEC, Lindows said it would proceed with the IPO using an auction process by the underwriters to determine the offering price and allocation of shares.
The underwriters are WR Hambrecht+Co. and Roth Capital Partners, according to the offering document.
Lindows said it is seeking a Nasdaq listing under the symbol "LINE."
It said it plans to use the proceeds from the IPO for developing distribution channels for its Linux-based operating system, application software and services, sales and marketing, hiring personnel, debt repayment and other general corporate purposes.
Its founder and chief executive officer, Michael Robertson, also founded online music distributor MP3.com, which was acquired by Franco-American multimedia group Vivendi Universal for about $375 million.
Vivendi agreed late last year to sell MP3.com to CNET Networks Inc.