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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."
Other word processors do XML, and have been doing it. It can probably be overturned.
This sig no verb.
Web pages are, in essence, word-processed, and they were one of the first demonstrated uses of the XML format. They include all the features word-processed documents would require, including formatting and font information. I can't see how any judge could overlook this as prior art.
The title of a patent is worthless. Patents are all about the implementation, and we know nothing about what Microsoft is claiming here.
Honestly, the story rebuts itself:
"Without knowing what is in the patent in detail means it is somewhat difficult to provide a meaningfull objection. "
Complaints ought to be listened to both before and after the patent is granted. If obvious (OO.org) examples (*.sx?) of prior art are found, the patent office ought to revoke the patent, even if it's already been granted. If the company (patent owners are always companies, hmm...) doesn't like it, they should have to sue.
Litigious bastards
Isn't the point of XML that its a fucking document markup language? If this patent made any god damn sense, whats to stop people from patenting marking up ANYTHING in xml? Patents are supposed to be nonobvious, and marking up documents in XML is PRETTY DAMN OBVIOUS.
When they published the specs of Word documents I marveled and thought that maybe they were beginning to understand what this open IT era is all about.
Instead, now they are going from embrace and extend to embrace and close up.
---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
... and Microsoft is patenting the idea of rolling it... sigh! What is this with comp sci? Whatever naive, obvious and trivial mental association made in this field is considered insightful discovery! I'm a cheap ass sysadmin and everyone I know (except the real compsci dudes) venerates me for my quality expertise! WTF? Side note... this news can't be true; and if it were, it would violate the very principle of the Antitrust Lawsuit. How can something (XML) designed to enfranchise the IT world from proprietary undocumented formats be limited in it's applicability so that it can't be used for the very specific application it was developed for?
Sigh...
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I am assuming that someone somewhere already holds a patent for the XML markup language.
The whole point of XML as i see it is to enable information interchange easily on a wide range of software platforms, packages and over the internet. Correctly formed XML not only contains data but it should also contain markup that describes how the data is stored, allowing anyone to read/write to the XML document.
Im guessing that the person who filed the original patent for XML would have made statements towards this effect. Would this not create a conflict between the two patents?
In any case the audacity of Microsoft never ceases to amaze me and this outrageous current application shows that we really need more techies in the right places. They cannot be allowed to continue to abuse the system in this way, taking advantage of people who know no better.
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Does that include real XML formats like OpenOffice/StarOffice or the M$ XML format that Word uses?