Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Applies to Patent RSS in Vista

Posted by Zonk on from the don't-jump-the-rails-just-yet dept.

Cyvros wrote in with a link to Wired's Monkey Bites blog, which is featuring a post on Microsoft applying for a patent on RSS. As the article points out, this isn't as crazy as it seems at first blush. From the wording of the application, post author Scott Gilbertson interprets their move as a patent on RSS only within Vista and IE7. From the article: "The big mystery is what Microsoft is planning to do with the patents if they are awarded them. The sad state of patent affairs in the United States has led to several cases of Microsoft being sued for technologies they did arguably invent simply because some else owned a generic patent on them. Of course we have no way of knowing how Microsoft intends to use these patents if they are awarded them. They could represent a defensive move, but they could be offensive as well -- [self-described RSS inventor Dave] Winer may end up being correct. It would be nice to see Microsoft release some information on what they plan to do with these patents, but for now we'll just have to wait and see whether the US Patent and Trademark Office grants them."

4 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. Who has Microsoft actually sued by Timesprout · · Score: 4, Interesting

    over patent infringement? Actual cases and not the 'OMG they might sue us' screeching please.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  2. Patents are Never Defensive by jmcharry · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you want only to defend your right to use something patentable, you just publish in a journal held by a number of libraries. IBM's Invention Disclosure Bulletin is an example of this. They publish everything they think might be patentable, but not worth the time and expense to patent.

  3. Re:Wheel by troll+-1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You might find this interesting.

  4. They aren't patenting RSS by adwb · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It seems to me after reading the patent application that they are trying to patent the API they created for allowing different programs within Vista (IE7, Outlook, etc) all share the same collection of feeds in various formats.