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Microsoft's Patent Problem
pens writes "Microsoft suffered utter defeat at a crucial pretrial hearing in what appears to be the highest-stakes patent litigation ever--one in which a tiny company called InterTrust Technologies claims that 85% of Microsoft's entire product line infringes its digital security patents."
Here come all the knee-jerk rally-behind-Microsoft comments.
Let there be singing in the street! MS could be struck down! Oh happy day! May their quivering entrails be picked apart by Sun, MS, and IBM.
May they eternally be peeing into the wind.
May the public works decree that the road never rise to meet them.
May MS's stock go so low that Billy Boy OWES money.
May we hear him utter the words, "Would you like fries with that?"
Hey, this could be good either way it turns out. On one hand, if anybody has the legal/political muscle to reform software patent silliness it's Microsoft.
On the other hand, if InterTrust wins the patent licensing fees will probably make DRM much less of a nuisance, at least for another 14 years. And it will totally kick MS in the balls.
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Hmmmm. Microsoft? The legal, leeches attempting to enforce software patents? A true /.er's Dilemma (tm)!
Roving Web-Teleoperated Robot
If you were a security software company, would you really want to advertise that you were at all responsible for the security behind any M$ product?
Hold on here. Are tech copyrights now good?
Damn you slashdot political climate, damn you!
It took me years to figure out all of the nuances, then they had to go screw it up again.
So, for the next 5 minutes, goofy tech patents rule!
Circuits... overloading...
*Head explodes*
I must watch too much TV, because when I read the part about the judge rebuking Microsoft's Attorney for promising to deliver proof and then delivering nothing but hot air, I could only see Judge Judy scolding some white-trash trailer park yokel who was mad at her mother in law for playing with her children on days ending in "-y".
How sad is that?
M$ bad. Patents bad. Digital rights managment bad.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
The one who kill by IP will die by IP.
(in fact, I'm not sure of the formulation, because I only know the french version : "celui qui tue pars l'épée périra par l'épée." French speaking people can get the word play between IP and épée)
All patents are bad! Get it through your head!
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
> Ignoring the trolls, would a *BSD system be better off, because SCO doesn't seem to be claiming anything related to BSD.
That's this week's SCO claims.
Stay tuned for next week's SCO claims.
It seems obvious to me that Microsoft sould sue InterTrust for patenting Microsoft's idea before Microsoft had a chance to think it up...
Just watch for InterTrust's board of execs to start selling stock any day now. Can't wait 'til they start offering new licenses for Windows. I just might pick up a few if they give me a good discount.
:)
Isn't this great? I didn't understand what everyone meant about all the oportunity here in America until I saw that just about anyone can claim ownership of any property, even Linux and Windows, just by leveraging the legal system.
I'll never have to work another day in my life.
> This presents quite a dilemma.
Lighten up, Mr. Glass is Half Empty, look at it this way: in a battle between Microsoft and Trivial Software Patents 'r' Us, the bad guys will DEFINITELY lose.
25% Funny, 25% Insightful, 25% Informative, 25% Troll
So, since MS is bad, and patent system is hurting MS, then patent system is good, right? But patent system is bad, so MS is good?
Damn cognitive disonance always gives me an ice cream headache...
Word of the day
But my office is in an uproar! This news has our execs discussing our future rollout plans for Microsoft products. In fact, five huge projects are already on hold because the legal department is afraid Windows is stolen technology. None of our business partners are comfortable with the shakey legal ground Microsoft is standing, and they're taking a wait-and-see approach. We've begun evaluating Plan 9 for the desktop.
So, next action item... InterTrust Technologies should write letters to all Microsoft users offering to license its technolgy or face possible litigation... Someone's got to learn from SCO, right?
Yep, they missed Bob. Looks like all you Windows zealots are stuck with a big yellow smiley face for an operating system.
Wherever you go, there you are!
How could MS possibly violate a security patent?
To do that, they'd have to implement some kind of security!
Ok, let me say first I hate all that Microsoft stands for.
That's not very fair. They make nice mice and keyboards!
[an Oakland judge] rebuked the company's lawyers for wasting her time by promising proof that never materialized--legal vaporware, in essence.
MS Exec: What? That's not allowed in court? We do it all the time in the real world!
The only reason we have the rights we have is that people just like us died to gain those rights. -- Cheerio Boy
You either hate software patents in all cases or you don't, no matter who the defendant is.
Yeah, right, Microsoft will see the error of their ways and defend Free Software from patents, because, well, they're moral beings and would never use double standards.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
I wonder if sony can sue MS in japan. Surely Ms does not have enough money to buy the united states and japan.
I must admit though that they bought the united states for pretty cheap.
War is necrophilia.
All InterTrust would have to do is sit around, do nothing except drop an occasional law suit on someone and then collect money. What could be easier?
Do you work for SCO?
Darl? Is that you?