Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 14:52:39 -0500 From: L Jean Camp <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Fwd: Interesting "almost open source" Microsoft tactic To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Here is another take on the Microsoft spam system - fighting spam or open source?
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From: "Benjamin J. Tilly " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu Feb 26, 2004 11:29:39 AM US/Eastern To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Interesting "almost open source" Microsoft tactic
Microsoft has just publically released their email caller-id proposal. See http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/twc/privacy/spam_callerid.mspx for details. I don't want to talk about the technical merits of the proposal in detail. Suffice it to say that inserting XML documents into DNS records seems like truly gratuitous abuse. If you like the idea, then see http://spf.pobox.com/ instead.
However what caught my eye about Microsoft's proposal was their offered patent license. They have apparently applied for a patent or patents (this is unclear) on their proposal. And they offer a license for it. The highlights of which is that any implementation of their proposal done by anyone who accepts that license can then be resold by anyone else who accepts that license. Furthermore suing Microsoft over the patent loses you the license. The license is not transferable. And you have to say prominently:
This product may incorporate intellectual property owned by Microsoft Corporation. If you would like a license from Microsoft, you need to contact Microsoft directly.
What is interesting about this? Well first of all I think that their "reselling" term is trying to capture part of the value proposition of open source in an interesting way without having to acknowledge open source, and without accepting some of the risks that being truly open source could bring. Secondly I suspect that the obvious GPL-incompatiblity is an entirely intentional move.
Cheers, Ben
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