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Microsoft Patents 'Proactive' Virus Protection
An anonymous reader writes "InfoWeek blogger Alex Wolfe wonders whether Microsoft will go after McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky for software royalties for proactive virus protection software. The technique enables security software to protect a PC against malware which isn't yet in the antivirus definition file, by comparing whether the new malware is similar to an old virus. Wolfe reports that Microsoft has been awarded U.S. patent 7,376,970 for "System and method for proactive computer virus protection," but that McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky have all been selling products implementing proactive virus protection for years before Microsoft even filed for the patent. Writes Wolfe: "One often wonders about software patents. I sure wonder about this one. I also wonder whether McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky are also going to be hearing from their friends in Redmond real soon"."
That's a pretty bad patent troll
Shameless plug alert: Game server control panel
That, plus Microsoft has used both McAfee and TrendMicro services in the past, for Hotmail, et al.
Maybe Microsoft isn't attacking, maybe they are defending their partners, because they have more weight than there "little buddies" and its actually the VirusScanner developers that are calling for this patent. That way it can remain the "Big 5" (or however many)... and those Big 5 can go against new and/or smaller VirusScanners...
Although, if Microsoft does plan on going after any of them... I hope they go after Symantec first, and are successful... and then, people will be outraged, and Microsofts doesnt go any further... I'd see that as a "Win Win"...
"If they get challenged prior art is obvious in this case and it shouldn't last 5 minutes if MS tried to extort them using it."
Fixed that for you.
Property is theft.
Just checking.
"Little is much when little you need."