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Microsoft, Autodesk Guilty of Patent Infringement
rfunches writes "A Texas jury has awarded $133 million in damages to David Colvin, after finding Microsoft and Autodesk guilty of infringing upon Colvin's two software patents for software antipiracy protection. Colvin's company, z4 Technologies Inc., filed patents for 'passwords and codes assigned to individual software copies to prevent unauthorized copies.' Microsoft was ordered to pay $115 million, and Autodesk $18 million for infringement of the product-activation schemes. A spokesman from Microsoft contends that 'Microsoft developed its own product-activation technologies well before z4 Technologies filed for its patent.' Appeals are expected."
...it's a silly software patent being exploited to make cash.
On the other, they're taking a bite out of microsoft.
I just don't know how to feel about that.
Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
I remember password and/or code protected software on the earliest PCs, the Amiga, everything! How the hell is this patentable? Oh wait, its the US Patent Office, nevermind.
On one side, we have to rail against software patents...
On the other, here is Microsoft forced to pay a little guy for infringing on his patent...
Rejected: Too much prior art.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
Software patents = bad
Product activation = bad
I'm torn ...
...it was also decided that this guys software doesn't work as millions of people have illegal copies of both Autodesk and Microsoft software.