[mdlug] Microsoft says Android infringes on its patents

[Adam Tauno Williams]

On Thu, 2010-04-29 at 13:32 -0400, Jacob Todd wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 09:50:44AM -0500, Bob Dion wrote:
> > "Investment"[?] You mean stealing.
> What have MS stolen? 

Nothing; if they hold the patent then they own it.  You can't steal from
yourself.

I don't understand why people in FOSS land get so worked up about these
[apparently randomly choosing one to have a fit about].  Especially the
Novell / Microsoft patent deal - what a @*&^*$ to-do about nothing.
Tech companies sign these kind of agreements every day;  it is how
business is done until the legislature changes it. 

Does Android violate any M$ patents?  Without a doubt, one doesn't even
have to look.  It certainly violates patents from dozens of other
organizations as well.  So these organizations all sign agreements with
each other to cover their hindquarters from the potential costs.  And M$
signs such agreements with IBM as undoubtedly M$ tech violates lots of
IBM patents [who holds more patents than anybody]

I personally wonder what is more annoying:  software patents or software
patent FUD as perpetrated by
call-themselves-FOSS-advocates-but-are-really-just-malcontents.

<quote
source="http://www.jprl.com/Blog/archive/development/mono/2009/Jan-19.html">
What I find even "funnier" is that Microsoft supposedly holds a number
of patents in a number of areas frequently used by open-source projects,
such as HTML, CSS, C++, XML, and others. So why don't we ever see any
suggestions to avoid these technologies because the Big Bad Microsoft
might sue?</quote>

-- 
Adam Tauno Williams <awilliam at whitemice.org> LPIC-1, Novell CLA
<http://www.whitemiceconsulting.com>
OpenGroupware, Cyrus IMAPd, Postfix, OpenLDAP, Samba