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Company Files Motion to Stop IE Distribution
RobHornick writes "According to CNET News, Eolas Technologies, a company that's already won a patent infringement judgement against Microsoft regarding Internet Explorer, has filed a motion to stop Microsoft from distributing its IE software until they remove Eolas' patented technology for running plug-ins, or pay up for a license."
Pay up, Microsoft.
Thank goodness closed source software is free of IP issues, eh?
I don't know which side to be with, the evil Eolas, or the equally evil Microsoft... HELP!! :)
Booo! We hate software patents!
Master wouldn't betray us, would he? What are we to think?
I thought distribution of IE should be stopped for security reasons.
Web developers face the possibility of having to significantly rewrite their pages or strip them of commonly used technologies like Macromedia's Flash.
Gentlemen, the tech employment slump is now over!
Please raise your hourly rates by $10.
$20 if you do Java Server pages, a bad idea whose time has come (disclaimer: I do JSPs).
Time to dig out those hookers' business cards!
(And the office foosball table suppliers' cards too!)
Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
they would have to stop distributing Windows?
Seems to describe this situation absolutely perfectly.
They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
Web developers face the possibility of having to significantly rewrite their pages or strip them of commonly used technologies like Macromedia's Flash.
Surely this can only be a good thing?
Tubal-Cain smokes the white owl.
Eolas: "That might change in the future, if they continue to refuse the deal," he said. "The quid pro quo would be settle it now--not force us to litigate for two, three, four years or whatever it is that they have in mind."
Evil Adrian: "Once again, prior art popping up. So, this whole thing will probably get turned on its head after about 3 more years of litigation.
Ispel: "A long time ago, when people were using Mosaic, the proprietor of Eolas invented the plugin technology. He showed this technology to Microsoft who poo-pooed it. Fast-forward several months and Microsoft's adds plugins in IE. Microsoft gets sued, litigation ensures while the browser wars and Y2K come and go. Whether or not you agree with software patents, there is no doubt Microsoft screwed this guy. I highly doubt the jury would have given Eolas the case if MS had not done this."
IOW: You screwed us and we're pissed so we want you to hand over a big fat wad of cash. But it'd be much easier for us if did it before the jury grows a brain and realises we didn't really invent this technology.
To know that you know what you know, and that you do not know what you do not know, that is true wisdom. --Scooby Doo
"a company [...] has filed a motion to stop Microsoft from distributing its IE software until they remove Eolas' patented technology"
What??? EULAs are patented?! Thank god! Oh, wait a minute...
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
That's what the RIAA is for.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
Sigs are like bumper stickers.
I thought that was SCO. Or maybe the RIAA. Damn, who is it we hate this week?
sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
"New Patent Laws, By Microsoft."
Somehow this doesn't make me feel any better.
"Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"
Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
Isn't the company a one man company owned by a uni? I know I've read that somewhere...
The company is going to be very hard, if not impossible to buy out.
But easy enough to *kill*, muahaha. Just how dirty will Microsoft play?