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Microsoft Ordered To Pay $388 Million In Patent Case

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the pay-up dept.

jeffmeden writes "BusinessWeek reports today that Microsoft suffered a loss in federal court Monday. The judge rendering the verdict ordered Microsoft to pay $388 Million in damages for violating a patent held by Uniloc, a California maker of software that prevents people from illegally installing software on multiple computers. Uniloc claims Microsoft's Windows XP and some Office programs infringe on a related patent they hold. It's hard to take sides on this one, but one thing is certain: should the verdict hold up, it will be heavily ironic if the extra copies of XP and Office sold due to crafty copy protection end up not being worth $388 million."

12 of 233 comments (clear)

  1. cleverly... by catmistake · · Score: 4, Funny

    Microsoft will find a way to pay them with copies of Windows XP.

    --
    The Admin and the Engineer
    1. Re:cleverly... by initialE · · Score: 2, Funny

      which are worth $30/ea now.

      --
      Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
    2. Re:cleverly... by Quothz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Microsoft will find a way to pay them with coupons toward the purchase of copies of Windows XP.

      Fixed that for ya.

  2. Karma by NfoCipher · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is what they get for suing TomTom. What goes around..

    --
    I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.
    1. Re:Karma by NoobixCube · · Score: 4, Funny

      Two wrongs don't make a right, but it does create a warm fuzzy feeling to know someone who wrongs others gets a little of it back. I don't approve of software patents, don't get me wrong, but it is kind of funny that Microsoft spent all that time rumbling about patent infringement and then get slapped with a massive patent infringement bill.

      For some reason, I just had a mental image of Marie Antoinette being drowned in a vat of cake-mix...

      --
      Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
  3. The judge must be in error ... by AHuxley · · Score: 2, Funny

    Microsoft researchers can show the fine should be decrease by 3-3000 times.
    ( from http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/08/1733206 )

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    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  4. He who lives by the patents... by tangent3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...die by the patents.

    1. Re:He who lives by the patents... by MartinSchou · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nah, that's an old one. I like the updated version much better:
      "He who lives by the sword is shot by someone who doesn't"

  5. WGA by InsertWittyNameHere · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does this mean I'll have to give up my Windows Genuine Advantage tool? I was enjoying the convenience of the frequent black screens, nag screens and reboots.

  6. Re:One can dream by fractoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, the biggest Hippocrates founded modern medicine.

    --
    Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  7. Re:One can dream by WCguru42 · · Score: 3, Funny

    They're about the only ones left with any money.

    But I read a week ago that Microsoft wanted bailout money due to lackluster sales of Vista.

    --
    "Educate the mind but never at the expense of the soul."~Blessed Basil Moreau
  8. Re:One can dream by Tawnos · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's why you read kdawson articles only for the humor. Facts are to be found elsewhere.