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Microsoft Pays $440M to License InterTrust Patents

Posted by timothy on from the never-intertrust-anyone dept.

theodp writes "Microsoft is paying $440 million to InterTrust to settle a three-year-old patent infringement lawsuit over DRM technology for protecting music, movies and other digital content against piracy. Under the settlement agreement, customers can use Microsoft products and services without a license from InterTrust. Developers, however, may need a license from InterTrust for other uses, including the combination of Microsoft technology with third-party technology." C.J. adds a link to the New York Times' coverage of the settlement.

5 of 169 comments (clear)

  1. Re:$440 million? by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    for $440 million im sure microsoft can develop a DRM system 100000x better then what they have right now

    Based on their record thus far, zero times "100000" still doesn't add to much.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  2. 0.4 billion. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thats what, roughly 1% of their total cash? Between this at the UK trouble they are down 2%.

    Keep chipping away fellas.

  3. hmm.. by dj245 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Microsoft, patents, a conspiracy to make lots of money, Intertrust, and a "registration required" New York Times Article. All we need to whip the /. crowd into a froth now is a Linux reference and a SCO allegory. Here goes.

    This is soooo just like SCO trying to make money on linux. I hope they lose!

    --
    Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  4. Anyone else read... by ocie · · Score: 3, Funny

    Microsoft pays $440M to license InterTrode Patents?

    --
    JET Program: see Japan, meet intere
  5. Microsoft: spending those billions by mveloso · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now everyone knows why Microsoft was sitting on all that cash: they're gonna buy their way outta trouble. Why not? It's easier for them to buy their way out of trouble.

    Andd after all that, they'll still have billions and billions lying around to cross-subsidize their money-losing ventures. Those money-losing ventures, of course, include almost everything Microsoft does except Windows and Office.

    Microsoft's new slogan should be "Innovating financial solutions to legal problems."