07.24.07
Microsoft Corporation Accused of ‘Patent Terrorism’
from the accusations dept.
No, this is not exactly a joke. In fact, the statement comes from a prominent individual who has no Linux association or affiliation.
The efforts of Microsoft to pressure the Linux community over alleged and unspecified patents is akin to “patent terrorism”, according to a local executive for Sun Microsystems.
This is truly a powerful statement (read the entire paragraph, which is transcribed in the article). There are two things that are worth adding here:
- We previously suspected that Microsoft wanted Sun to ‘pull and SCO’ against GNU/Linux.
- Jonathan Schwartz, the CEO of Sun Microsystems, offered his arsenal of patents, which could be a portfolio that defends Linux (if needed). Let’s not forget about OIN.
More trouble in the out-of-hand USPTO add to the patent storm.
Nick writes “Looks like a group of patent lawyers and inventors are suing the US Secretary of Commerce to block the appointment of an “unqualified” person to the spot of Deputy Director of the USPTO, claiming its an abuse of the Secretary’s discretion. There are two ways to look at this: either it’s a noble attempt to ensure the right people are in place to oversee the patent and trademark office…
A complete overhaul and beginning from scratch come to mind.
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.