MS Files For NZ Patent On XML Word Processor Files

heretic108 writes "A patent application is currently being examined in New Zealand, which if granted, would bar anyone except Microsoft from using an XML file format for storing Word Processing documents. In contrast to copyrights, patents allow even the most elementary concepts to be patented. Apparently, nobody here is diligently watching out for such ridiculous patents, so the official deadline for submitting objections has passed. This suggests a likelihood that the patent may well be granted. I am not endeared to the thought that I might be breaking the law when I use OpenOffice.org to write documents, especially since the concept of storing docs in an XML format was certainly not thought of by Microsoft, so have written a formal complaint to my Member of Parliament. Hopefully there'll be a public outcry within New Zealand."

Comments

Bit more

[Tabercil]

Here's the webpage of the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office listing the patent application. Unfortunately, it does not appear to have online the most crucial thing we're all looking for - nitty-gritty details of the patent.

Re:Prior art, film at eleven

[mcdrewski42]

Interesting that patent application 20030237048 in the USA Patent Office lodged on Christmas Day 2003 is for a Word processor for freestyle editing of well-formed XML documents

Abstract
A word-processor that provides a freestyle-editing environment for editing an XML document while monitoring the XML document for well-formedness. The word processor monitors the XML document to determine if the XML document is well-formed and to automatically correct the XML document to maintain well-formedness.

Asignee Name: Microsoft Corporation.

I wonder if they are related at all?

Text of Claim1 of EU version

[JPMH]

It looks as though a very similar patent application has been filed in Europe, EP 1376387. Clicking on the 'Claims' button in the top line of the page reveals:

EP1376387.
Word-processing document stored in a single XML file
Applicant(s): MICROSOFT CORP (US)

Claims:

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a first component for reading a word-processor document stored as a single XML file;
a second component that utilizes an XSD for interpreting the word-processor document, and
a third component for performing an action on the word-processor document.

... and so on down to claim 31.

This is only a patent application, not (yet) a granted patent (in fact in the EU the patent application has only just been published, on 2 Jan this year).

From the 'priority number' (US20020187060 20020628) it looks as though the original application was for a US patent, filed some time in 2002. So that is the cut-off date for prior art.

The full paperwork file for the EPO patent application can also be viewed, at EPOline.