Yep, here's the associated politics: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?m=20050311 and especially: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1775159,00.asp
It will play well to the cheap seats if Microsoft can cram a few obvious stupidities of its own through the examination process (which, as we have seen, is not the arena where real challenges to patents are brought) and then say, "see, we have something to lose by tightening patentability standards too." Then they can sponsor legislation that makes it harder to enforce genuine, valid patents in the courts under cover of USPTO reform. Catch this bit of Microsoft's proposal: "Create a special court that would consolidate and hear all patent cases at the federal district level in order to improve consistency and predictability of patent litigation." In other words, take the power to investigate the facts surrounding patent infringement out of the hands of Federal district courts nationwide, which are quite difficult to systematically subvert, and concentrate it in a single, brand new, revolving-door, D.C.-based court of "fact". Now do Microsoft's efforts to play both ends against the middle start to make sense? Cheers, - Michael