Microsoft Pays $440M to License InterTrust Patents

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.

Comments

BOTH SLASHDOT AND GOATSE ANUS ARE OWNED BY OSDN

[Anonymous Coward]

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Frosty?

[Anonymous Coward]

*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_ g_______________________________________________g_ _ o_/_____\_____________\____________/____\_______o_ _ a|_______|_____________\__________|______|______a_ _ t|_______`._____________|_________|_______:_____t_ _ s`________|_____________|________\|_______|_____s_ _ e_\_______|_/_______/__\\\___--___\\_______:____e_ _ x__\______\/____--~~__________~--__|_\_____|____x_ _ *___\______\_-~____________________~-_\____|____*_ _ g____\______\_________.--------.______\|___|____g_ _ o______\_____\______//_________(_(__>__\___|____o_ _ a_______\___.__C____)_________(_(____>__|__/____a_ _ t_______/\_|___C_____)/______\_(_____>__|_/_____t_ _ s______/_/\|___C_____)_______|__(___>___/__\____s_ _ e_____|___(____C_____)\______/__//__/_/_____\___e_ _ x_____|____\__|_____\\_________//_(__/_______|__x_ _ *____|_\____\____)___`----___--'_____________|__*_ _ g____|__\______________\_______/____________/_|_g_ _ o___|______________/____|_____|__\____________|_o_ _ a___|_____________|____/_______\__\___________|_a_ _ t___|__________/_/____|_________|__\___________|t_ _ s___|_________/_/______\__/\___/____|__________|s_ _ e__|_________/_/________|____|_______|_________|e_ _ x__|__________|_________|____|_______|_________|x_ _ *_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_ Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page) If you want replies to your comments sent to you, consider logging in or creating an account. Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page) If you want replies to your comments sent to you, consider logging in or creating an account. Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page) If you want replies to your comments sent to you, consider logging in or creating an account. [ Reply to This ] BENEDICT ARNOLDS OF THE OPEN SOURCE MOVEMENT (Score:-1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 12, @07:35PM Marc Andreessen made 100s of millions of dollars shortly after graduating from UIUC. Today's graduates of the same university face moving back in with their parents. "Fuck that, I got mine!" Brian Behlendorf decided he'd rather go to India to recruit software engineers than help out the graduating classes of 2001-2004 here in the US. Robert Malda stood idly by and said NOTHING while his company offshored its flagship product Miguel de Icaza, Bruce Perens, Eric Raymond, and Linus Torvalds all got rich off the Open Source Movement. What the fuck do you have to look forward to?

Re:PAtents.

[Face the Facts]

Why am I replying to trolls?

There are three real issues with software patents that could be fixed.

First, the interaction between patent law and antitrust law needs to be adjusted. If you have a dominant market position, you should't be able to use a patent to prevent interoperability with your de-facto standards. This is an antitrust issue because it's only a big problem when someone has market dominance. Interoperability with Microsoft Word is important. Interoperability with AbiWord is not.

This is not totally out of reach politically. Current antitrust law in the US and the EU arguably support this position, but enforcement is hard. A bright-line standard would help here.

Second, it needs to be clearly established that Government-mandated standards (ANSI, ISO, DIN, EU) preempt patents unless patent holders object prior to the issuance of the standard. The government standards organizations should be directed to adopt policies preventing the use of patented technology in standards unless the patent holder waives their rights under patent for all users of the standard.

Finally, "business method" patents seem to have been a mistake. However, the first one (4,346,442, the Merrill Lynch Cash Management Account, attaching a credit card to a brokerage account) has already expired.

These things do time out, and soon enough that it matters. The GIF patent has expired. The RSA patent has expired. The SyncSort patent has expired. All those technologies are still in use.

In Soviet Russia...

[wronskyMan]

You pay millions of dollars in lawsuits to Microsoft!
Wait.. why wasnt that as funny as I thought?

Re:In Soviet Russia...

[pseudochaotic]

But the RIAA pays you TRILLIONS of dollars, so it works out, with interest. :)

U R THE FUNAY ROFLOMG!LO&^^&[NO CARIAR]

[Anonymous Coward]

Re:$440 million?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, this really hurts all those benevolent corporations like Apple who want nothing more to bring DRM to the little guy. Boo Hoo.

Re:NY Times Reg-free link

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks for the link karma whore.

Cost benefit analysis?

[Anonymous Coward]

I just heard some sad news on talk radio -- Radio Talk Show host Rush Limbaugh was found dead in his New York home tonight. The coroner has not yet officially ruled it a suicide, but apparently that's what it's going to be ruled.

I'm sure everyone in the Slashdot community will mourn his passing -- even if you didn't agree with him, there's no denying his contributions to popular culture. Truly an American icon.