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View Full Version : The patent lunacy continues...



fatality_uk
May 21st, 2009, 02:42 PM
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/21/microsoft_word_patent_damages/

Discuss!

monsterstack
May 21st, 2009, 03:24 PM
TomTom called. They want their comeuppance back.

fatality_uk
May 21st, 2009, 03:25 PM
Lol :d

lykwydchykyn
May 21st, 2009, 03:29 PM
One would like to hope that, after a few more cases like this, Microsoft might get behind the anti-software patent movement. It's a nice pipe dream, anyway.

fatality_uk
May 21st, 2009, 03:34 PM
I think the expression "Live by the sword, die by the sword" applies here. Microsoft can't have it both ways.

The problem is that Microsoft have very deep pockets, as we all know, and can appeal and appeal making it unviable for some smaller companies to lodge complaints.

gn2
May 21st, 2009, 03:36 PM
Microsoft will just pay up and write it off as a business expense.
The ruling won't make a blind bit of difference to how they operate.

CJ Master
May 21st, 2009, 03:37 PM
Could we have a preview of the article in the post? >.>

Anyways, I don't really have an opinion on the matter. It's not a F/OSS project suing Microsoft, so I don't really care.

Cammy
May 21st, 2009, 03:39 PM
The problem is that Microsoft have very deep pockets, as we all know, and can appeal and appeal making it unviable for some smaller companies to lodge complaints.

There should be a law that you get to appeal once, and for each time after that the damages are tripled, with a maximum number of appeals at around three.

monsterstack
May 21st, 2009, 03:41 PM
I think the expression "Live by the sword, die by the sword" applies here. Microsoft can't have it both ways.

The problem is that Microsoft have very deep pockets, as we all know, and can appeal and appeal making it unviable for some smaller companies to lodge complaints.

Do we even want them to? Every time someone files a lawsuit based on a software patent, it just makes the whole situation even more absurd and dangerous, especially to free software. It's easy to feel like Microsoft had it coming, and by God did they have it coming, and think nothing more of the incident. But what's to stop a similar patent troll suing the patents off Sun Microsystems for something in OpenOffice? Software patents are anathema to anybody who believes in free software.

Firestem4
May 21st, 2009, 04:11 PM
Do we even want them to? Every time someone files a lawsuit based on a software patent, it just makes the whole situation even more absurd and dangerous, especially to free software. It's easy to feel like Microsoft had it coming, and by God did they have it coming, and think nothing more of the incident. But what's to stop a similar patent troll suing the patents off Sun Microsystems for something in OpenOffice? Software patents are anathema to anybody who believes in free software.

Off the top of my head...

IBM, Oracle/Sun, Novell, Red Hat, Canonical, FSF, Open Invention Network, etc.. =)

lykwydchykyn
May 21st, 2009, 04:18 PM
Off the top of my head...

IBM, Oracle/Sun, Novell, Red Hat, Canonical, FSF, Open Invention Network, etc.. =)

I don't see how that would stop someone from suing. By definition, a patent troll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_troll) does not need to worry about counter suits, because they have no products to be sued over.

Firestem4
May 21st, 2009, 04:26 PM
I don't see how that would stop someone from suing. By definition, a patent troll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_troll) does not need to worry about counter suits, because they have no products to be sued over.

Sorry i had misread the sentence. I was thinking about Microsoft when I wrote that.

Patent Trolls though, rarely succeed do they not?

lykwydchykyn
May 21st, 2009, 04:41 PM
Sorry i had misread the sentence. I was thinking about Microsoft when I wrote that.

Patent Trolls though, rarely succeed do they not?

Well, I don't have enough data on that to say for sure, but from the cases I've followed -- it depends on your definition of success. Most of these cases end up with a settlement, which is probably exactly what the patent troll wants.

Giant Speck
May 21st, 2009, 05:25 PM
*sigh*

I stopped caring about software patents a long time ago.

cl333r
May 21st, 2009, 05:29 PM
It's obvious that the less money Microsoft has the less money it puts aside for lobbyists and thus the better for the rest of the world.
The best way to achieve that is however imo not by issuing fines against Microsoft but by making the desktop Linux a better product which automatically turns into less Microsoft customers and Linux also needs bold commercials, lets face it, a few percentage knows what Linux is, not to mention its potential.

Methuselah
May 21st, 2009, 06:19 PM
This is why we don't have to worry too much about Microsoft attacking linux with patents: they live in a glass house.
Patent troll companies are immune to attack since they make nothing but real software companies will always have vulnerabilities.
So Microsoft's patents are primarily defensive and it would be dangerous to start wars with entities that can hit back.
Anyway, despite Microsoft being on the receiving end of this attack, I'm still opposed to the way software patents are handled.

zekopeko
May 21st, 2009, 06:50 PM
There should be a law that you get to appeal once, and for each time after that the damages are tripled, with a maximum number of appeals at around three.

how would you like to be charged with a crime and convicted and then when you appeal to get your sentence tripled every time? 5years--15years--45years...