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Microsoft Now Offers Patent Troll Defense For Azure Customers (thestack.com)

Posted by msmash on from the fighting-back dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft Azure will now offer customers protection against patent trolling, via Redmond's considerable collection of 10,000 legal patents. The practice of patent trolling has become an industry hazard for startups in the last fifteen years, with companies forming solely for the purpose of exploiting obscure or difficult-to-research patents which may overlap with the IP of startups. As of today, Azure is offering 'uncapped indemnification coverage', including coverage against open-source implementations of entities such as Hadoop, which forms the basis of Azure's HD Insight product.

7 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. How about Linux by Bender+Unit+22 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If I run Linux in azure, will I then be protected against patent lawsuits from microsoft that they believe that Linux violates? :D

    1. Re:How about Linux by spacepimp · · Score: 3, Informative

      Interesting considering the FUD campaign is still alive and well with their android tax.

    2. Re:How about Linux by khz6955 · · Score: 2

      halivar: "The Halloween emails were almost 20 years ago. No one from that time is left in Redmond. At some point, it's time to let it go."

      "Acquired rights. You will defend us against any claim that arises .. We may modify this agreement at any time by posting a revised version on the legal information section of the Portal" ref

      translation: You agree to be fucked twice in both ends ..

  2. The 10,000 patents are useless against trolls by SlaveToTheGrind · · Score: 4, Informative

    The summary (as well as the cited article) gloms together two unrelated issues. The 10,000 patents have nothing to do with protection against patent trolls -- by definition, trolls typically don't have an active business and therefore there's nothing to infringe patents that a defendant might counter-assert.

    The original MS blog post clearly separates the unlimited indemnification (useful for all patent suits, including troll suits) from access to the 10,000 patents (potentially useful for patent suits filed by real operating companies who might have products of their own that fall under MS's patents).

    1. Re:The 10,000 patents are useless against trolls by Gilgaron · · Score: 2

      IANAL, but if you claim that you're operating under licensed patent from MS, and the troll claims that you're violating their patent, don't they have to go fight MS now? If nothing else, letters from MS lawyers would probably send them scurrying for easier pickings.

  3. This is a big deal by nsxdavid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One can nit-pick all they want, but this is a really great move by Microsoft. We happen to use Azure already, so it's like free cookies (the yummy kind, not the browser kind).

    IP Trolls are a significant threat to any business, and anything that helps is extremely welcome.

    Obviously they didn't do this just out of the pure kindness of their hearts... it gives them a potential competitive advantage in the rapidly expanding cloud market. But a pretty smart one at that.

    --
    David Whatley
  4. Microsoft patents patent trolling by khz6955 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does this mean that Microsoft front patent trolls like Acacia and Intellectual Ventures can still sue you for using third party cloud services.