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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."

1 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. Angst! by ackthpt · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Allegedly? No...not allegedly, definitively. It went to court, and the plaintiff was able to prove infringement. It's not alleged, it's legally proven fact. Talk about weasel-words...

    So, do you support someone (David-esque) with a patent taking on and defeating Microsoft (Goliath-esque), do you writhe at the thought of the patent process being abused, or do you simply toss it all out and side with justice be done?

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar