I think this strategy really works best as a bluff (in fact the partnerships between MS and Novell et al shows that it is working). Once the bluff is called is a different matter. MS has admitted that it is not actually code that has been purloined but ideas. Even if MS could defend these patents (and the Supremes recent decision makes that even more questionable) it has to be a public relations disaster. I think the winning situation for Open Source community is to dare or drag MS into court. Makes me wish I was a patent lawyer.
Art Clemons <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: TJP: > Unfortunately, even if all its claims are without merit, who would have > the money to defend against the bottomless resources of MS? If I had money to bet, Sun and IBM have a strong incentive not to let its "software" patents go forward. Frankly, I have always believed and felt that software patents were not and are not a good idea for any nation. The same concepts incidentally apply to letting folks patent the genome of one individual in medical and scientific matters. There's nothing there to patent! MS has only so much money for legal fees, it also has to constantly defend itself against infringement claims. It's also taking an awful risk in trying to assert patents that are questionable just as the Supreme Court has apparently made it easier to challenge patents. It's relatively cheap to challenge asserted patents compared to a trial over infringement, guess what most companies with a fear MS will sue now have a strong incentive to try? ************************************************************************ * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived ************************************************************************
