Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Nailed by Software Patent

Posted by michael on from the software-patents-dangerous-to-everyone dept.

An anonymous reader writes "It was just announced that Microsoft lost the case where it was accused of violating Eolas' patent on embedded applications in the Internet Explorer browser. They have been fined $521 million in damages."

10 of 668 comments (clear)

  1. It's amazing.. by Plix · · Score: 5, Funny

    A little patent-portfolio company did in one suit what the Fed couldn't in 5 years.

    1. Re:It's amazing.. by EJB · · Score: 5, Funny

      I believe they claimed Microsoft violated US patents # 000.000,000,001 (the '1 patent) and # 000,000,000,002 (the '2 patent).

      The '1 patents lays out a "way to rule a country comprised of dozens of states" and the '2 patent describes the taxation of citizens of a huge country.

  2. Great! by freeze128 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This means there will probably just be another IE service pack that breaks more web pages....

  3. Im so confused!!!!!! by slash-tard · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft = bad

    Patents = bad

    So is this good? Must be some sort of paradox if so...

  4. And in other news... by Scalli0n · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the article: "Eolas had argued that the technology for "plug-ins" and "applets" made it possible for Microsoft to compete against the Netscape Navigator browser."

    In other news, SCO has also sued Mozilla for the use of "HTML" and "JavaScript" which have made it possible to be used by more than one person...

    --
    Sig & Below
    Yuck Fou
  5. Categories for this article explained... by pHatidic · · Score: 5, Funny

    You may have noticed that this article seemingly falls into 7 different categories. Let me break them down for you so you can see for yourself how each one applies to this insightful article.

    Firstly, the Bill-Gates-As-Cyborg is representative of Microsoft being fucked.

    Secondly, the IE icon with the broken halo is representative of Microsoft falling from grace.

    Thirdly, the circuitboard was just misclick by Taco.

    Fourthly, the patent pending icon is representative of Cyborg-Bill being stabbed in the back by a rusty spoon.

    Fifthly, the hat on briefcase thing also represents Microsoft being fucked.

    Sixthly, the internet thing represents my posting this on slashdot about Microsoft being fucked.

    Lastly, the newspaper icon represents joe sixpack reading in weekly world news tomorrow that Microsoft is being fucked.

  6. In Summary... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Boo: Overbroad Patents!
    Boo: This patent is stupid!
    Boo: Microsoft in general!
    Yay: Microsoft has to pay money!
    Boo: It's too little money!
    Solution to this:
    Yay: Mozilla!
    Yay: Slashdot!

  7. Re:Well, then.... by BobTheJanitor · · Score: 5, Funny

    More accurately, microsoft is a subset of evil, and patents is a subset of evil. The most that can be said is "Because some evil is microsoft, and some evil is patents, some microsoft may be patents."

  8. Re:This is very very bad by Hatta · · Score: 5, Funny

    This screws Flash, Java applets, and all kinds of other things.

    Man, this rocks!

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  9. Re:Amazing grace indeed.. by Alsee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ironic is aready an adjective: there is no need to add -al to it.

    He was just trying to adjectival it.

    -

    --
    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.