Symantec also said Whyte denied McAfee's motion for partial summary judgment, which would have gotten McAfee off the hook for a number of the claims Symantec had leveled against it. The stakes in the battle to dominate the market for antivirus software are high. As the Internet becomes the preferred medium to transmit software and other digital products, it is becoming increasingly easy for vandals to pass along destructive viruses to unsuspecting customers. In 1996, McAfee's revenue more than doubled from the year before, to $181 million. Symantec generated $472 million in fiscal 1997, up from $445 the year before. Both companies will report earnings later this month. A survey by First Call predicts Symantec earnings at 33 cents a share, up from 2 cents during the same period last year. McAfee is expected to post earnings of 44 cents, compared to earnings of 24 cents a share last year, according to First Call.