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Patent trolls don't make anything.

Well, i4i does at least make something. They now sell a utility that undoes the damage caused to documents by Microsoft's forced removal of their custom XML feature.

As far as I can see, they omit from the page that they are the reason the feature was removed.

• Open binary file
• Load into some internal metadata format for processing, ie image editor, text editor shit almost anything.
• Transform back to original format

Code folds would be another example.

Don't mess with a company whose name is eye for (an) eye .

Third parties will be harmed while the patent holder isn't likely to see anyone buying their product instead of Word.

one of i4i's main products is supplying this xml authoring functionality for Microsoft word. So every copy of word already providing the functionality is actually a lost potential sell for the patent holder.

i4i is not a patent troll, since they have a product called x4o since at least 2003: http://www.i4i.com/x4o.htm.

Here is an archive from the same page in February 2003: http://web.archive.org/web/20030207000848/http://www.i4i.com/x4o.htm

It seems their technology began in 1998:
http://web.archive.org/web/19981206121641/http://www.i4i.com/

Extract:
S4 Toolkit for Microsoft Word!
A Head Start for your XML/SGML Development Team
Schedule a NetMeeting Demo Today!

Their first released product dates from 1999.
You can check the whole history here: http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.i4i.com

In this case, they've been trying to do everything but. So far, their defense strategy has been to attempt to paint i4i as a patent troll who never had a product, and therefore should not have been granted a patent. That's kind of silly considering that i4i actually does have a product, and if you look at the screenshot on this page describing one of their products, it's apparent that they have had an implementation of their patent for quite a while (Word 2000 is pictured).

So far, they haven't actually attacked the patent because doing so might invalidate one or more of their own patents. They haven't attacked the patent system or any patent laws not only because they have considerable resources invested in that patent system, but because any change in the patent system really needs to happen at the legislative level and it really isn't likely that a court is going to invalidate the entire patent system.

As much as I'd like to see Microsoft directly attack the patent system itself and fight for patent reform, I just don't think it's going to happen in a court room, and I don't see Microsoft fighting a system in earnest that they have profited so much from.

And I don't blame them. It isn't up to them to bring about patent reform. It's ultimately up to We, The People.

In fact, the name, "i4i", implies the old "eye for an eye" rule. It's possible that this is a group of Free Software folks who have managed to get a patent on something obvious (as Microsoft has done so many times in the past) and wants to stick it to Microsoft the same way Microsoft keeps harassing open source folks with their patents on ones and zeros.

Yeah, I was imagining something similar, but a quick glance at the i4i website makes it clear that's not the case, and that [letter]4[letter] seems to be their product naming convention. Crazy Canuks.

This is common practice among patent trolls. Often they will even acquire defunct product designs (cheaply) from other companies just so that they can say "see, we make a product that uses this IP". But if you scratch just past the surface you will see there is really no intention of selling that product. Case in point, you can't actually download this supposed product and there is no pricing information. They don't have a sales team, they don't issue press releases, the don't try in any way to market the product, it's all a facade.

Wait a second, you're babbling about "common practice among patent trolls" and this is somehow supposed to prove that this is the case? You're just speculating! There's no substance what-so-ever in none of your claims, and you have the guts to call me gullible because you're guessing!?

Case in point, you can't actually download anything because it's proprietary software, but you can request a demo. You're full of shit and obviously you have never been involved in B2B sales. There's no price list in B2B and the procedures are very different from B2C. B2B is all about haggling, custom contracts and legal issues. Also this list shows their current customers, which proves that there is a sales department.

I don't usually feed the trolls you're one of a kind, because you sneak in a one line comment trying to be "above it" while failing so horribly, without even realising that you're the gullible one for instantly assuming that it's a patent troll case. All (and I mean ALL) evidence point to the fact that it is a legit business and your word isn't worth shit. Now troll somewhere else.

This is common practice among patent trolls. Often they will even acquire defunct product designs (cheaply) from other companies just so that they can say "see, we make a product that uses this IP". But if you scratch just past the surface you will see there is really no intention of selling that product. Case in point, you can't actually download this supposed product and there is no pricing information. They don't have a sales team, they don't issue press releases, the don't try in any way to market the product, it's all a facade.

Wait a second, you're babbling about "common practice among patent trolls" and this is somehow supposed to prove that this is the case? You're just speculating! There's no substance what-so-ever in none of your claims, and you have the guts to call me gullible because you're guessing!?

Case in point, you can't actually download anything because it's proprietary software, but you can request a demo. You're full of shit and obviously you have never been involved in B2B sales. There's no price list in B2B and the procedures are very different from B2C. B2B is all about haggling, custom contracts and legal issues. Also this list shows their current customers, which proves that there is a sales department.

I don't usually feed the trolls you're one of a kind, because you sneak in a one line comment trying to be "above it" while failing so horribly, without even realising that you're the gullible one for instantly assuming that it's a patent troll case. All (and I mean ALL) evidence point to the fact that it is a legit business and your word isn't worth shit. Now troll somewhere else.

Does i4i have an implementation of their patent?

This seems to be a product which is related to this patent. I don't know, slashdotters seem to be very quick to judge on the behalf of MS, claiming that i4i are patent trolls. I haven't seen any proof that they are, and until I do I'll consider this suit valid. Ironically those just spewing the phrase "patent troll" without providing any proof nor data are what? That's right -- trolls themselves.

not sure why you think it would bother i4i, the patent holder, that a third party would then be allowed to write a Solution to XML Authoring in Microsoft® Word? Some reason they don't like Microsoft building that tool into word without sharing some of the profits.

I think it's more likely that they're going after Microsoft for making one of their products redundant. "x4o© - The One Step Solution to XML Authoring in Microsoft® Word"

I hope microsoft sues them for trademark infringement using clippy on their website. And how does it fit with their xml authoring product now that microsoft must not sell word? http://www.i4i.com/x4o.htm

Contact them and express your hatred.

I m not counting on MS Office Suite to provide me with a XML editor. Here are some alternatives:
DocSoft's W2XML Version 2
Authentic by Altova
i4i Tagless Editor
XMLWriter by Wattle Software
Opensource Extensible XML Modeling Application

If you know of any other GUI based XML modeling/editing apps, please feel free to add them to this list.

You may want to take a look at "Tagless Editor" from www.i4i.com.