Microsoft takes on the free world

[d38dm8nw81k1ng]

I'm not sure that you're actually getting any form of licence when you purchase the software, the patent part of the deal may be just an informal agreement between the two companies to not pursue their customers for patent infringement. The real deal is for software distribution, MS recommends suse to all its customers that want a Windows/Gnu/Linux integration, the patent part is just a side note that may simply be a golden handshake, and all the customer is getting is a sense of security but not much else.
The first thing to do is figure out whether patent protection really is part of the deal, which would make it legitimate and therefore extended to the customers, or just a side note to the actual deal of distribution.

i see where you're coming from. i suppose it depends on what they mean by "covenant not to sue". it may be interpreted by courts as a license, whether MS/Novell meant it that way. though i suppose it depends on what the contract is when MS/Novell license the software out.

[cayalee]

come on scenario 3!!

[actaea]

Microsoft continues to attack Linux by claiming that Linux violates its patents. I'm wondering how old are the patents behind Microsoft's claims? And thus how much longer will Microsoft be able to play this game?

I'm guessing that Microsoft's patent if found to be valid that would hurt Linux the most are the oldest patents and may expire in just a few years. Is my guess accurate?

[MikeTbob]

Microsoft continues to attack Linux by claiming that Linux violates its patents. I'm wondering how old are the patents behind Microsoft's claims? And thus how much longer will Microsoft be able to play this game?

I'm sure only MS can answer that question since they won't reveal the violations, but in my opinion they could continue doing this indefinitely as they have been for a number of years now. I have come to think that MS isn't going to sue anyone. I think if anything, MS wants someone to sue them, so they won't look like the bad guys.

[easuter]

“If people had understood how patents would be granted when most of today’s ideas were invented, and had taken out patents, the industry would be at a complete standstill today.” (...)“some large company will patent some obvious thing” [and use the patent to] “take as much of our profits as they want.”

--Bill Gates, 1991

I guess he is kicking himself for having said that, since now his company is that "some large company"
MS won't sue anyone, they simply have too much to lose. IBM and Sun are on our side, and those two companies combined have the largest software patent portfolio in the world (and they will use it against MS if necessary).

Microsoft is just a little brat who can't see anyone else playing in the sandbox...

PS: here is the article I got the quotes from : The New York Times > Log In

[MikeTbob]

This is a small quote from an interview with Alan Cox, posted here.
Alan Cox odpovÃ*dá

12) Do you share some people's fear of Microsoft's threats (concerning patents and intellectual property)?

I don't think they are the biggest danger. As Microsoft has been finding out recently it is the patent trolls, and organisations with buried patents in interesting areas that are the biggest threat in the USA. The real answer to that problem however is to pull the USA back into line with the majority of the world which simply does not recognize patents on software but respects them as literary works subject to copyright law. Also therefore we have to make sure the continuing US attempts to spread bogus patent law into the EU are defeated.