as one of several companies whose products were being used in the Syrian government crackdown. The equipment was allegedly sold to the Syrians by an authorized NetApp reseller. On April 7, 2014, NetApp was notified by the US Department of Commerce "that it had completed its review of this matter and determined that NetApp had not violated the U.S. export laws", and that the file on the matter had been closed. Legal dispute with Sun Microsystems In September 2007, NetApp started proceedings against Sun Microsystems, claiming that the ZFS File System developed by Sun infringed its patents. The following month, Sun announced plans to countersue based on alleged misuse by NetApp of Sun's own patented technology. Several of NetApp's patent claims were rejected on the basis of prior art after re-examination by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. On September 9, 2010, NetApp announced an agreement with Oracle Corporation (the new owner of Sun Microsystems) to dismiss the suits. Accolades NetApp was listed amongst Silicon Valley Top 25 Corporate Philanthropists in 2013. NetApp was Named Brand of the Year by the Think Global Awards in 2019. See also Write Anywhere File Layout (WAFL), used in ONTAP storage systems Team NetApp Kaleidescape References Further reading External links Companies based in San Jose, California Computer companies established in 1992 American companies established in 1992 1995 initial public offerings Computer companies of the United States Computer storage companies Storage Area Network companies Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Companies listed on the Nasdaq