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i4i Says OpenOffice Does Not Infringe Like MS Word

Posted by kdawson on from the tooth-for-tooth dept.

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "After the permanent injunction barring Microsoft from selling Microsoft Word, many armchair lawyers and pundits wondered how the ruling would affect OpenOffice. The company with the patent, i4i, believes that OpenOffice does not infringe upon it. But lest anyone think that therefore ODF will win out over OOXML, keep in mind that Microsoft has its own broad XML document patent, which issued just two weeks ago, having been filed in December 2004, and they're telling the Supreme Court to apply the Bilski ruling narrowly, so that it doesn't invalidate patents like theirs (and i4i's). After all, unlike most companies and individuals, Microsoft can afford $290 million infringement fines. Then again, given that Microsoft's new patent has only two independent claims (claim #1 and claim #12), and both of those claims 'comprise' something using an 'XML file format for documents associated with an application having a rich set of features,' maybe they wouldn't be that hard to work around if you just make sure any otherwise infringing format is only associated with an application lacking in the feature richness department."

5 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. The MS patent does not affect ODF. by Adaptux · · Score: 4, Informative

    The claim about the MS patent affecting ODF is not true. See here for details.

    1. Re:The MS patent does not affect ODF. by quarterbuck · · Score: 4, Informative

      It would not matter what a third party thinks as long as i4i thinks it is not infringing. Unlike trademarks, patents do not expire unless enforced. So i4i is within rights to sue Microsoft and not Sun. And anyway the common practice is to sue the ones with most amount of money and who can be convinced to pay -- It is difficult to ask for a cut of sales when OpenOffice is free (for most part). To add to that there is the fact that large Open Office installations are in Europe where the patent won't apply anyway.
      Of course things might change when Oracle completes the purchase of Sun.

      --
      http://slashdot.org/submission/1062723/Cheap-mobile-data-plan?art_pos=2
    2. Re:The MS patent does not affect ODF. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Absolutely nothing but Abreu apparently doesn't like to do any investigation into the small company who produced the product that Microsoft once used and then infringed upon their patent. After all it's patriotic American Microsoft versus the Evil Canuckstainian Horde (i4i) .......

      Oh what the hell -- hey morons do a very little research and you'll find out the small company produced the software before Microsoft 1) approached them 2) partnered with i4i and used their work then 3) infringed on the patent

      It's an attempt at Embrace Extend Extinguish .... but this time Microsoft got nailed because the i4i has a viable patent and a working product

  2. Re:Gold digging? by Adaptux · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's a decision based on the facts of the matter. OOXML has a mechanism (called "CustomXML") which does what the i4i patent describes. ODF doesn't have anything like it.

  3. actual explanation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    This piece by Amy Wohl is the only writing on this subject that comes remotely close to explaining what is going on.

    In short, i4i's patent only covers some specific use of XML that is only widely used in the medical field. Microsoft is violating that particular patent.

    i4i is apparently not claiming that they own a patent against all of XML or anything.