Alcatel Awarded $367 Million in MS Patent Case

eldavojohn writes "For violating two Alcatel-Lucent patents in its Windows user interface, Microsoft was ordered to pay Alcatel-Lucent $367 Million Friday. From the article, 'Microsoft, which will seek to have the verdict overturned, said Alcatel-Lucent was seeking $1.5 billion in damages related to the four patents named in the case. Microsoft said the jury found that Microsoft did not infringe on Alcatel's video decoding technology patent. The fourth patent in the lawsuit was asserted only against Dell Inc, which was found not to have infringed, according to Microsoft.'"

Comments

patents are really not the way

[jacquesm]

the sooner we can get rid of patents the better, even if it is ms on the receiving end of the big patent stick it still brings me no joy.

The patent system long ago stopped serving its original purpose and it needs to be abolished or overhauled asap. Software patents ought to be done away with completely.

Re:patents are really not the way

[pallmall1]

...companies that make money from code need to protect it somehow...

Or change the way they make money.

Candlemakers weren't able to patent light. Software patents block the true potential of human communication and knowledge, and serve no benefit to society. They are the ultimate totalitarian construct, serving only to raise barriers to advances in utilization of technologies such as solid state electronic devices (which, by the way, are already patented).

Just as the candlemakers' market dwindled when the light bulb came along, so should the market for those companies who think that their precious "ip" has any more value than the time it takes to code it originally. If the code is useful, the coder can make more money by making it better, if there is a market desire to do so. Or, they can make it better just because they want to write good code. If a coder doesn't think they are getting enough money, they can stop coding, find another job, or start a company and work for themselves. They can also copyright the code if they think it's that elegant.

Computer code enables a new form of literacy and communication never even dreamed of before in human history. Software patents are a nightmare, helping bring to life Orwell's picture* of the future. If the world doesn't wake up now it may be too late to prevent it. There's a lot more at stake than a few coders' or lawyers' business plans.

*

"There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always do not forget this, Winston always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face . . . for ever". (Part III, Chapter III)
--bold added

Re:In defense of software patents

[pallmall1]

Taking invention as an example, I'm essentially a nobody, if I come up with a fantastic idea tomorrow that's easy for me to get to market, it's even easier for an established company to copy it and get it there with more inovations before I grab any market share at all. And I won't have the option of selling the idea since someone can just copy it for free.

There's a difference between an idea and an invention.