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Microsoft: We'll Help Customers Create Patents But We Get a License To Use Them (zdnet.com)
Microsoft outlined a new intellectual-property policy on Thursday for co-developed technology that embraces open source and seeks to assure customers it won't run off with their innovations. From a report: The shared innovation principles build on its Azure IP Advantage program for helping customers combat patent trolls. The new principles for co-developed innovation cover ownership of existing technology, customer ownership of new patents, support for open source, licensing new IP back to Microsoft, software portability, transparency, and learning. Microsoft president Brad Smith says the principles aim to assuage customers' fears that Microsoft may end up using co-developed technology to rival them.
[...] In return, Microsoft gets to license back any of the patents in the new technology but promises to limit their use to improving its own platform technologies, such as Azure, Azure AI services, Office 365, Windows, Xbox, and HoloLens. It also reserves the right to use "code and tools developed by or on behalf of Microsoft that are intended to provide technical assistance to customers in their respective businesses."
[...] In return, Microsoft gets to license back any of the patents in the new technology but promises to limit their use to improving its own platform technologies, such as Azure, Azure AI services, Office 365, Windows, Xbox, and HoloLens. It also reserves the right to use "code and tools developed by or on behalf of Microsoft that are intended to provide technical assistance to customers in their respective businesses."
A patent troll saying they'll help you with patents? This is rich, even for Microsoft.
...Microsoft will troll you with your own patents. It's a superb get-rich-quick scheme.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
"You have developed an incredibly innovative piece of software! We'll help you patent it. All we ask is that we license it from you. Here is our standard contract that everyone signs. "
So, you start skimming through the hundreds of pages of legalese - the lawyer wanted $300/hr - and you discover that Microsoft will pay you $1 for perpetuity.
I don't give a shit WTF they SAY, it's what is in writing that counts.
That's a nice piece of tech you've got there, shame if something.. happened to it, say, from a patent troll. But your good old Uncle Microsoft is here to help you out, isn't that great? Since you're such a good guy, we don't even want anything from you -- we just want to help! -- but it would be nice if you'd let us use your technology, you know, just to make our own stuff work a little better.
Are Americans so poor that we have to mortgage our very ideas to even attempt to start a business these days?
Suck it long, and suck it hard.
NO.
not unless you license all yours to us free.
To anyone choosing to suck on this carrot, may I remind everyone what happened with Internet Explorer and Sypglass?
What a great deal. We need more software patents. Lawyers gotta eat, ya know. Who gives a shit if society mires in drawn out litigation about 1-click buttons and intentionally vague ideas that are done "using a computer".
If I were a technology company, I wouldn't want to go anywhere near other people's future without something like a license to use the patents.
I would be in great fear that someone in my company would do something that resembles a private draft of a patent one of those users is working on. This happens all the time by coincidence, but having access to customer research/draft prior to patent application just raises a lot more suspicion if you happen to do the same or similar thing as that research goes to.
If you want a service to help you with patents and you want to keep control of it, you go to a legal company, not a technology company that is likely to have a conflict of interest.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
"We'll help out with the legal aspect so developers don't have to worry about it. Trust us".
Microsoft lies, news at 11.
Brown shirt faggots.
There ya go.
This is pretty fucked coming from the company that invented the bullshit notion of corporate code IP. Eat a sack of dick-meat sammiches.
- In Soviet Korea, only old people loose all their bases to Natalie Portman's petrified hot grits overlords.
Fuck Off Microsoft.
I have two (long time expired) patents to my name. Didn't get even $0.01 in royalties/licensing but I didn't care. I would probably make terms in my Patent to exclude MS and any subsidiary from ever using my patented tech unless they paid me a cool billion dollars. Anyone else could have it for free.
You wish you stupid imbecile
You can suck a traitor's tiny dick if you need to, but I don't faggot. He's going to die in prison and all you retarded nazi faggots can do is watch, lol.
The fact that a *private* corporation is (supposedly) trying to fix the patent system, means that it is extremely broken.
Already covers all my patent issues.
Thanks for playing, Microsoft.
Better luck next time.
With windows 10, windows server 2016, and now this.
What a self righteous bunch of mother fuckers.
Is MS now owned by China, because that seems to be one of the complaints Trump has with China, US firms being forced to handover Stuff for free.
when I say f*ck you Microsoft.
So Microsoft wants me to give them permission to use my patent in order for them to create a competing service. Sounds like they are trying to externalize their efforts to Embrace, extend, and extinguish.
when your thinking.
Use Microsoft products to play computer games.
Use a real OS to work on your patent. Ensure you get your patent.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
For any programmer who hasn't heard of GPL3, just give your IP to Micro$oft.
Bend over and take it like a man.
Go well