Symantec Corp. has turned the tables on browser toolbar startup Hotbar.com Inc., filing a lawsuit to retain the right to flag Hotbar products as a potential security risk for PC users.

Symantec’s suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, does not seek monetary damages. Instead, it is asking for a legal judgment supporting Symantec’s position that Hotbar program files “are indeed adware and can be treated as computer security risks.”

Ziff Davis Internet News has learned that the suit was a direct response to a cease-and-desist letter sent to Symantec demanding that the company stop classifying Hotbar programs as adware.

Source: eWeek