[ale] [Fwd: Microsoft can't sell `Word' in US]

[Matt Gilbert]

Can anyone else weigh in on how this impacts software that "manipulates the
structure and content" of XML files and/or CSS, etc? Because the way I'm
reading it it makes about half of the software I use (and half of the
software I write for my own use) illegal. Not that I feel like I would be a
target for legal junk, but many programs and projects I rely on might be.

There have to be plenty of legitimate reasons to sue MS that would be
applauded, this is just absurd (and probably unenforceable anyway). If this
is good, then it's good because the only targets would be big bad companies,
but that puts everything else in a weird sort of black market, doesn't it?
The picture can't be that big, can it?

Matt


On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 4:24 PM, Thompson Freeman <
tfreeman at intel.digichem.net> wrote:

> On 08/13/2009 01:09:19 PM, Michael B. Trausch wrote:
> > On Thu, 13 Aug 2009, Jim Popovitch wrote:
> >
> > > On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 11:06, aaron<aaron at pd.org>
> > wrote:
> > >>
> > >> While I'm an Open Source advocate who _DOES_ see the
> > big picture,
> > >> in this particular case I'm still going to take some
> > gloating
> > >> satisfaction in the justice of it.
> > >
> > > Who looses in this?  Microsoft?  hardly.   You wait and
> > see... some
> > > small business will soon be on CNN/CNBC claiming that
> > stupid patent
> > > enforcement laws prevented them from
> > using/upgrading/securing MS Word
> > > and that MS Word should never be encumbered again by
> > threat of patents
> > > (because after all M$ has a recent history of saying
> > that they
> > > wouldn't go after some obscure OS's user base....).
> >
> > What I hope is that they _don't_ overcome it.  I hope the
> > patent that was
> > enforced here is not licensed reasonably, and takes full
> > advantage of its
> > rights under the current patent system.  This will only
> > serve to show how
> > ludicris this whole bloody thing is.
> >
> > Imagine, if one laughable patent can cause Microsoft to
> > become compelled
> > to stop selling Microsoft Word, what would happen if all
> > of the other
> > likely lurking patents they infringe on began enforcement
> > proceedings
> > against them?
> >
> > This is the time for patent trolls to kick up their
> > activity and go after
> > the deep pockets.  They'll make their money, and soon
> > enough, they'll
> > serve no further purpose.  This will only set the stage
> > for SCOTUS to rule
> > most excellently on the pending case before them.
>
> While I can hope that SCOTUS puts a serious kibosh on the
> patent trolls and kicks the patent system around into a
> somewhat healthier orientation, I don't see it happening
> _soon_, nor do I see SCOTUS making the _fundamental_
> changes that I think need to be made (that being the job of
> the US Congress)
>
> /sarcasm
> What? Me completely distrust the legal system and the
> practitioners working therein?
> /endsarcasm
>
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