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Linux Violates 283 Patents, says Insurance Company

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the prior-art-needed dept.

Apro+im writes "According to this article over at ZDNet: 'Linux potentially infringes 283 patents, including 27 held by Microsoft but none that have been validated by court judgments, according to a group that sells insurance to protect those using or selling Linux against intellectual-property litigation.' Dan Ravicher, founder and executive director of the Public Patent Foundation, conducted the analysis for Open Source Risk Management. OSRM is like an insurance company, selling legal protection against Linux copyright-infringement claims. It plans to expand the program to patent protections."

15 of 475 comments (clear)

  1. The keyword is "potentially" by NiceGuyUK · · Score: 5, Funny

    Until someone jumps up and down in court with their army of lawyers, we'll keep it at "potentially"....

    1. Re:The keyword is "potentially" by Maestro4k · · Score: 3, Funny
      • Until someone jumps up and down in court with their army of lawyers, we'll keep it at "potentially"....
      Shhh, SCO might hear you and get ideas...
  2. Broken knees by dacarr · · Score: 4, Funny
    It *almost* sounds like an act prior to offering "broken knees" insurance.

    Almost.

    --
    This sig no verb.
    1. Re:Broken knees by SQL+Error · · Score: 4, Funny

      Nice operating system you have here. Wouldn't want anything to happen to it...

    2. Re:Broken knees by JPelorat · · Score: 2, Funny

      You've got a lot of RAM, there, Colonel. Be a shame if someone was to set fire to it.

      --
      Hokey statistics and ancient misconceptions are no match for a good thought in your head, kid!
  3. Where? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Does the US-Style patents are valid on the rest of the world?

    This doesn't count nothing, almost every computer user violates the double click patent of Microsoft.

  4. 419 by pyro101 · · Score: 5, Funny

    So this is the new 419 scam coming out of Nigeria. Seems inventive.

  5. Re:Giant Attack Bunny Insurance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'll make you a great deal on Giant Attack Bunny insurance. Want a brochure?

    No, thanks, I have the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch instead..

  6. This violates my Patent. by Kenja · · Score: 4, Funny

    This violates my patent on FUD.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
  7. 283? That's it? by Luveno · · Score: 5, Funny

    Heck, I accidentally violated more than that in the last 2-tier app I wrote.

  8. Among those patents by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Funny

    May be embedded in devices other than plastic toys found in breakfast cereals and happymeals

    May be built without bloat (a prohibitive patent owned by Microsoft)

    Able to run for months, or years, without reboot (another prohibitive patent)

    Uses letters of the alphabet

    Uses arabic numbers

    Multitasking

    May be networked with multiple other computers

    Enables a spoon to stick to admins nose during boot

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  9. Re:That's nothing by abb3w · · Score: 2, Funny
    Well, there's certainly a lot of prior art...

    --
    //Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
  10. Re:m$ patenting spree by 0123456 · · Score: 3, Funny

    You obviously missed the new Microsoft patent: 'A method of writing a program such that it is written in two lines of code or less'.

  11. Insurance for Linux ? by ganhawk · · Score: 2, Funny

    I thought BSD required it more ...you know in case it dies or something

    --
    Python script to convert photos into "artsy" portraits: http://p2pbridge.sf.net/pyPortrait/
  12. Re:Microsoft's patent strategy by OverlordQ · · Score: 2, Funny

    Because Weapons of Mass Destruction kill people and patents dont?

    --
    Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.