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Microsoft: We'll Help Customers Create Patents But We Get a License To Use Them (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the catch-22 dept.

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."

4 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. The irony is thick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A patent troll saying they'll help you with patents? This is rich, even for Microsoft.

    1. Re:The irony is thick by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Interesting

      A patent troll saying they'll help you with patents? This is rich, even for Microsoft.

      *Shrug* . . . it's basically the same deal if you work for a large enough company that has a patent department.

      It's your idea . . . your name is on the patent . . . but then it says, "Assigned To: [your employer]" in the title information.

      In my case, I received some cash awards for the patents . . . but who knows what they are really worth to my employer.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    2. Re:The irony is thick by Shompol · · Score: 4, Informative
      Gee, I don't know where to start... Microsoft gets a few bucks off every Android set ever sold. Microsoft.... Android? Because Microsoft threatens manufacturers to throw an undisclosed number of patents if they don't pay up. Undisclosed, not because there are some specific ones infringed, but because MS can keep throwing until payout does not look so bad.

      And this is only one obvious troll. They usually troll under shell companies so cannot be linked to MS directly. This being probably most famous one. I know of a few others, and probably many more that we don't know about because we only know of the ones that leaked by accident.

  2. Dumb Dumb Remember Spyglass, everyone? by ckaminski · · Score: 4, Insightful

    To anyone choosing to suck on this carrot, may I remind everyone what happened with Internet Explorer and Sypglass?