Arista is developing an alternative version of EOS, its flagship operating system, in case it loses the intellectual property litigation brought by Cisco.

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) filed massive patent and copyright lawsuits against Arista Networks Inc. in late 2014, charging Arista unlawfully copied Cisco's command line interface (CLI) and other features that Cisco claims are its property. (See Cisco Slams Arista With Massive Patent & Copyright Suit.)

Arista suffered a setback in that lawsuit a few weeks ago, when the US International Trade Commission (ITC) issued an initial ruling favoring Cisco on key points. (See Judge Rules in Favor of Cisco Against Arista in ITC Complaint.)

The ITC will issue a final ruling June 2, followed by a Presidential Review Period to end Aug. 2.

Just in case it loses, Arista is working on a new version of its flagship EOS operating system that excludes the alleged Cisco intellectual property. But Arista is still committed to fighting on that score, company executives said on an earnings call Thursday. (See Arista: Cloud Drove 'Spectacular' Year.)

If the final decision is against Arista, then Arista will submit the alternative EOS to US Customs to get approval to import it to the US from its overseas manufacturers, executives said.

Customer support throughout the lawsuit has been "unwavering," CEO Jayshree Ullal said.

Related posts:

— Mitch Wagner, , West Coast Bureau Chief, Light Reading. Got a tip about SDN or NFV? Send it to [email protected].