End Software Patents (ESP) Report: State of Software and Business Method
Patents
,----[ Quote ]
| Software patent infringement lawsuits are increasingly targeted against
| non-software companies in the general business sector. For example, a company
| named Global Patent Holdings, LLC is currently seeking settlements between $7
| and $15 million from companies such as the Green Bay Packers, OfficeMax,
| Caterpillar, Kraft Foods, ADT Security Services, AutoNation, Tire Kingdom,
| and Boca Raton Resort and Club. In each case, the dispute is over the design
| of the company's website.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080228/aqth077.html?.v=35
eBay Settles Patent Suit With MercExchange
,----[ Quote ]
| eBay and MercExchange had been involved in litigation over MercExchange's
| patents and eBay's online auctions and fixed price related ecommerce
| operations.
|
| [...]
|
| In 2003 a jury found eBay's "Buy It Now" feature infringed MercExchange's
| patents for an online marketplace. A jury sided with MerExchange and awarded
| the company $30 million for infringement, which was later reduced to $25
| million on appeal.
`----
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/02/28/ebay-settles-patent-suit-with-mercexchange
Coalition against software patents here: http://endsoftpatents.org/
Microsoft is among those who wish to become a patent troll. Just watch last
week's news (OSP).
Related:
http://ecis.eu/documents/210208ECISStatement.pdf
Antitrust: Commission takes note of Microsoft's announcement on
interoperability principles
,----[ Quote ]
| The European Commission takes note of today's announcement by Microsoft of
| its intention to commit to a number of principles in order to promote
| interoperability with some of its high market share software products. This
| announcement does not relate to the question of whether or not Microsoft has
| been complying with EU antitrust rules in this area in the past.
`----
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/106&form%20at=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Red Hat Statement on Microsoft Announcement
,----[ Quote ]
| Commit to interoperability with open source: Instead of offering a patent
| license for its protocol information on the basis of licensing arrangements
| it knows are incompatible with the GPL – the world’s most widely used open
| source software license – Microsoft should extend its Open Specification
| Promise to all of the interoperability information that it is announcing
| today will be made available.
`----
http://www.press.redhat.com/2008/02/21/red-hat-statement-on-microsoft-announcement/
Freewash, fake beards, and the enclosure of the software commons
,----[ Quote ]
| The 20th February 2008 was one of those 'Microsoft moments', when suddenly,
| the world changed. Just like when they 'got' the network (and we got NT), or
| they 'got' the Internet (and we got 'Internet Explorer'). This time
| they 'got' Open Source and Open Standards and the company is about to make
| another of their legendary radical transformations... or so they would like
| you to believe.
|
| [...]
|
| So you can have your 'Open Source' software if you really insist... just so
| long as you pay a royalty to Microsoft for every copy that gets shipped. It's
| great if all those 'non-commercial' people want to develop software for
| Microsoft and their ring-fenced group of 'authorised' 'Open Source' partners.
| They generously promise that they wont even sue their unpaid workforce.
`----
http://www.siriusit.co.uk/myblog/freewash-fake-beards-and-the-enclosure-of-the-software-commons.html
Microsoft Gets Open Source Religion – Or Maybe Not
,----[ Quote ]
| Note, by the way, that Microsoft has effected the marvellous sleight of hand
| that it – not the OSI, not the Linux Foundation, but *Microsoft* – is setting
| up an Open Source Interoperability Initiative.
|
| In some ways, the most amazing paragraph in the whole announcement is not the
| protestations of undying love for openness, but the following:
|
| "The interoperability principles and actions announced today reflect the
| changed legal landscape for Microsoft and the IT industry. They are an
| important step forward for the company in its ongoing efforts to fulfill the
| responsibilities and obligations outlined in the September 2007 judgment of
| the European Court of First Instance (CFI)."
|
| This is certainly true, as shown by the fact that Microsoft is effectively
| applying the agreement with the EU to most of its product range...
`----
http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=522&blogid=14
EU regulators cool on Microsoft open-source move
,----[ Quote ]
| But Mark Taylor from the Open Source Consortium said the Microsoft
| announcement is "smoke and mirrors."
|
| "Microsoft is saying it will give access to open APIs, however, but there are
| terms," said Taylor. "It's the same old story. Patent protection applies, and
| people can use the APIs commercially as long as they pay Microsoft a royalty.
| They are trying to enclose open commons by trying to apply their business
| model, which is all about owning technology, to open source."
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6231525.html
Red Hat shows the way
,----[ Quote ]
| At times like these, when proprietary software companies and turncoats from
| within the FOSS sphere are actively engaged in a battle to dominate
| standards, it is good to have a company like Red Hat on-side.
|
| [...]
|
| But looking at Red Hat's reaction to the recent Microsoft announcement about
| interoperability, it is easy to see that the North Carolina-based company is
| not a one-dimensional firm. Few companies would react to a statement from the
| biggest and most powerful proprietary software company - and one which is
| actively trying to steal its lunch - with anything resembling these
| words: "Red Hat regards this most recent announcement with a healthy dose of
| skepticism (sic)."
`----
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16913/1148/
|
|
