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Microsoft Loses Office Patent Dispute
cwolfsheep writes "According to CNet, Microsoft has lost a patent dispute with a developer involving the company's Excel and Access product lines; specifically how they interact via spreadsheets. Carlos Armando Amado had filed a patent in 1994: the dispute covers Microsoft's products from March 1997 to July 2003. Office 2003 users will need to upgrade to Service Pack 2; Office XP users will need to apply a patch."
Patches are for pirates!
if the patch will be made available to users who have unregistered versions of Office. Or will it be treated like a content update instead of how they treat security flaw patches.
The guy who patented interaction with a spread sheet, or Microsoft?
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
Are you required to install security patches?
You haven't read the liscencing agreement, it seems.
The TOS states alot of things, like your sacred duty to grab a skullbat and assist in the Cleansing when Gazuga appears. It's all in there.
That's Emporer Amado to you, mister.
Flappinbooger isn't my real name
Patches are for pirates!
Aye matey!
Yarrrrrr!!!
I give you these 15...CRASH...10 commandments!
Anonymous Cowards suck.
'As-is' is exactly right, same as if you're buying a used car from a dirt lot. If you read your MS licenses carefully, you will find that they specifically avoid claiming that the software will allow you to type a sentence, add two numbers, or draw a straight line.
In practical terms, you are actually licencing a product that is not guaranteed to *DO* anything at all. Any functionality you might use is just gravy you should be grateful for. So from a licensing standpoint, they owe you nothing in terms of continued functionality of any kind, because they never promised you any functionality in the first place.
I had a professor who used to read a software license, but replaced the words 'software application' with 'Ford car' wherever they occurred. The effect was hysterical -- it wasn't guaranteed to do anything, wasn't guaranteed not to crash, not to have defects, etc. Try it sometime, it's a good brain exercise.
Read the best of all of Slash: seenonslash.com
Microsoft where's my companies rebate since we lose some of the functionality that what we had paid for!!!
Microsoft appreciates your insight; however, they've already paid plenty of bean counters and lawyers to determine for them which course of action would be the most profitable. They decided that fighting the lawsuit and then removing the functionality was better for their pocketbook than paying the licensing fee. Your armchair evaluation can be found in the circular file.
To the best of my knowledege, OpenOffice.org has no built in function to move data between Excel and Access.
Life has many choices. Eternity has two. What's yours?
Wow man you are so much smarter then the army of IP lawyers MS has. I mean they spent years on this case, spent tens of thousands of dollars, paid millions of damages all for nothing. They just could have asked you and you would have slayed the court with your argument. DOH!. I can see you in court now.
"Your honor, I present to you the the feature of appleworks which uses shared memory back in the mid 80's! "
Judge: "Well OK then, I am struck by your insight and research, case dismissed!"
Dude that would rock!
evil is as evil does
Could some one please send me complete information on how to get the service pack and install it. ...
It is most important that this is accomplished because big bad Microsoft infringed on some ones patent.
BTW please send the text of the instructions directly to my blackberry