OT: MS funny quote...
Robin Laing
Robin.Laing at drdc-rddc.gc.ca
Wed Aug 11 14:30:03 UTC 2004
Scot L. Harris wrote:
> On Tue, 2004-08-10 at 09:54, Thom Paine wrote:
>
>>Isn't this GMail's claim to fame?
>>So MS owns Google now?
>>
>>On Tue, 2004-08-10 at 09:48, Rui Miguel Seabra wrote:
>>
>>> Searches will extend
>>> across all data like e-mail, photos, Word. "We're creating things,"
>>> he says.
>
>
> You forgot, Microsoft is laying the ground work to patent all of these
> ideas. So in 2007 when the patent is granted they can come back and
> extort all those companies that have implemented and been using the
> concepts for all these years.
>
> It's all about prior art. Now Microsoft can point to that memo and
> claim prior art.
>
>
Maybe this is the time to look into a linux patent site that uses
Creative Commons or Groklaw or some combination of services to patent
Linux innovation under a common umbrella. It could be a service or
site where the common person could put forward ideas that are then
patented under a GPL group.
As the US is starting to force other countries to follow their laws
about patents, it may be time to do this.
I was thinking about this on the weekend after reading about Australia
being forced to bring in DMCA type laws for part of a trade agreement
with the US.
Here is a link to a project to bust patents.
<http://www.eff.org/patent/>
It would be fun to turn the tides on Microsoft with a Linux Patent.
If this isn't an issue, look at Munich stopping it's move to Linux
under suspicion of legal hassles.
I hate to say it but it is time that Linux advocates started using the
patent system as a defense as well. It is time for developers to make
a index or library of prior work to protect their principles.
--
Robin Laing
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