other fora: Microsoft has received a US patent on some of their XML encodings generated by Word. This may not matter much yet outside the US, though Europe is probably going to enable similar laws shortly. In the US, decoding such files with software not licensed by Microsoft is not only a patent infringement; it is also a DMCA violation.
That is really excellent news. Why?
1) If proof were needed that patenting is now defeating the object it was intended to serve, this is a very fine example.
2) If MS do start prosecuting based on this, its a good reason for even more people to move away from Microsoft Office software. I'd have thought the Linux camp would be overjoyed by such a stupid move as patenting a document interchange format. Jef Raskin must be wondering why he bothers with his user interface work when its all thrown away because you can't even share the document you wrote.
The ecommerce company I work for will not accept purchase orders in Microsoft format because Microsoft keep changing the document format and thus force an upgrade on you. We insist on PDF because Adobe provide a free reader (I've recently noticed MS now provide a free Word reader). No going back, we're sticking with Adobe.
I don't dislike Microsoft - the MSDN programme is superb, OSDN doesn't come close. I do dislike enforced upgrades of software, burning of customers. Microsoft Office policy fits this nicely, from what I've seen.
Taking the above patent idea a bit further: Patenting a data format, thats a bit like patenting DNA (pointless, we all own it) or patenting the alphabet. Patenting the use of such ideas is also pointless (reading is a public domain activity as is the mammalian response to various DNA sequences and enzymes, etc).
Sorry, end rant. I'm surprised I haven't seen the above patent mentioned on Slashdot, although I could've missed it.
Stephen -- Stephen Kellett Object Media Limited http://www.objmedia.demon.co.uk RSI Information: http://www.objmedia.demon.co.uk/rsi.html To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
