Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Copies Idea, Admits It, Then Patents It

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the we'll-take-that-too dept.

An anonymous reader writes "BlueJ is a popular academic IDE which lets students have a visual programming interface. Microsoft copied the design in their 'Object Test Bench' feature in Visual Studio 2005 and even admitted it. Now, a patent application has come to light which patents the very same feature, blatantly ignoring prior art."

1 of 333 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Sick Software "Patents" by Haeleth · · Score: 5, Funny

    in the US we consider a corporation to be a "corporate personhood". So a corporation is practically indistinguishable from a person under our laws.
    Actually, there are many differences:
    • Corporations cannot be sentenced to death or sent to jail. Humans cannot be ordered to be split up.
    • Corporations do not have the vote.
    • Corporations pay different taxes.
    • Corporations cannot hold passports or driving licenses.
    • Corporations cannot marry or adopt children.
    • Corporations do not have to have been incorporated for 21 years before they are permitted to purchase alcohol, nor do they have to have been incorporated for 14-18 years before they are permitted to screw their customers.