07.22.08
Quick Mention: Zuck and the Gang Still Manipulate Politicians
Spotted yesterday
The lobbying arm/pressure group known as ACT was mentioned here before. Microsoft feeds it handsomely.
“For those who do not know, this is a back door to software patents in Europe.”ACT is located/based only in Washington and Brussels where manipulation and ’soft bribery’ are easier to apply to politics. And boy, does Microsoft love to mess about with politicians, via proxies. It’s the industry’s ‘leader’ in that respect, judging by expenditure.
Watch the leader of this movement, Jonathan Zuck, as he is once again speaking ‘on behalf’ of small businesses. He did this before despite the fact that he represents just large companies seeking to hijack the voice of small ones, thus suiting themselves.
Here is the latest example.
A key element in the Commission’s new strategy, according to the President of the Association for Competitive Technology Jonathan Zuck, is the suggestion that small businesses would be able to avoid costly legal proceedings in court to resolve patent disputes. Instead, the Commission says it will look into the establishment of “alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms,” which it acknowledges could “substantially improve” the settlement of disputes.
Such a mechanism would be “key for smaller players”, allowing all parties to settle disputes more efficiently, said Zuck.
The Commission’s draft also stresses the need to set up an EU-wide jurisdiction system for patents. But up till now this has been a major stumbling block in the negotiations on a Community patent, and the strategy offers no new solutions as to how to move forward on the issue.
For those who do not know, this is a back door to software patents in Europe. Microsoft craves it. █
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.