[PymnImmen]

The firm said that several years ago it approached Microsoft with a breakthrough product in data processing, only to be spurned and to see its technology show up later in versions of Microsoft Word.

That sentence makes it seem that the small company might in fact have a case.

However I think that the whole patent system should be either seriously reduced or entirely scrapped.

Software is a brilliant example... does anyone really think that software companies would not innovate if they didn't have the patent system to protect them?

[MightyMasd]

I'm not particularly surprised.

Ridiculous court rulings break down as follows:

EU: antitrust
US: IP
Canada: something to do with QC

[Zfdeisde]

The firm said that several years ago it approached Microsoft with a breakthrough product in data processing, only to be spurned and to see its technology show up later in versions of Microsoft Word.

That sentence makes it seem that the small company might in fact have a case.

However I think that the whole patent system should be either seriously reduced or entirely scrapped.

Software is a brilliant example... does anyone really think that software companies would not innovate if they didn't have the patent system to protect them? 'breakthrough' is a ridiculous way to put this. MS has been talking about migrating Office formats to XML formats since 1998 (when MS' much more specific patent for this was granted). This company approached MS "several years ago" (ie, after it's already been developed) with a "breakthrough" and no doubt a demand for hundreds of millions of dollars, which was...of course...spurned.

It's the patent troll MO.

[ticskebasse]

Software is a brilliant example... does anyone really think that software companies would not innovate if they didn't have the patent system to protect them?

Yes.

[Anymnillulky]

Do patents and IP rights really lead to more innovation? Or does it lead to stagnation of innovation, and only legal innovation?

[hernkingAnank]

'breakthrough' is a ridiculous way to put this. MS has been talking about migrating Office formats to XML formats since 1998 (when MS' much more specific patent for this was granted). This company approached MS "several years ago" (ie, after it's already been developed) with a "breakthrough" and no doubt a demand for hundreds of millions of dollars, which was...of course...spurned.

It's the patent troll MO.

Which shows how ridiculous US patent laws have become. Our congress is so damn corrupt that any industry lobby with cash can write their own legislation and have it passed as long as they buy off enough Congressmen with "campaign donations" Donations which legally politicians can personally pocket in a dozen ways after a few years (a favorite is to declare they're not running or don't need the fund so they "donate it to chartiy"; usually a charity they set up and staff with only themselves and family members then give 99.9% of the "charity money" to themselves as salaries).

Just look at how absurd the laws protecting pharmaceutical companies has become. The patent protection period (which prevents generics competing) has nearly doubled in length plus if the company can claim a "new innovation" then this overly long period can be extended over and over again. That sounds ok until you realize the FDA now excepts changes in pill dosage as "a new innovation" as well as just mixing the pill with one of dozens of standard buffers (none of which are new in any way) and suddenly the company can get years more patent protection out of a drug. Obviously this harms consumers and doesn't spur any sort of new new innovation. Yet the lobbyists write the bills themselves and the corrupt Congressmen pass them without reading them as long as the lobbyists keep paying them to do it.

[seekfrieddy]

I thought vaporware was proposed or promised software which the company never actually delivers. Like Duke Nuke'em 3D (or what ever it was called) which supposedly was just around the corner for a decade plus but never actually hit market.

[Thigmaswams]

There is a reason MicroSoft is a virtual monopoly. They've crushed every company they've come up against.

Like here, stealing someone else's technology.

I don't think you comprehend. This isn't stealing someone else's technology.

The company filed an incomprehensibly broad patent to something that is fairly frickin obvious. It took 5 years for the patent to be granted, and in the limbo between that MS applied for (and 8 months after this company's, was granted) a much more specific patent. Both patents were ruled valid, but according to this judgment this company's patent is a superset of MS'.

It's not about stealing technology. Unfortunately, this kind of **** is very common. Shotgun-style patent applications that cover anything and everything. Then you find out someone is "violating" the patent years later and demand the moon from companies, then settle it for hundreds of millions of dollars.

How can anyone support Microsoft?? And how can you guys say, if MS has been stealing software, then the patent laws -- which protect inventors and inventions -- must be scraped? Patents are so important, they're written into the Constitution! Strongly suggest you figure out the basic meanings of the words you are using. As a lawyer, I shouldn't have to tell you this. Patent infringement is not the same as "stealing technology". I strongly suggest you look into the history of technology patent trolls. These are not people 'stealing technology', it's a tiny company trying to cash in.

Look at the video game scene. For years, all video game consoles came with vibration/rumble support: Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all did it. It's not a very difficult concept, but apparently some tiny no-name company patented the idea in the 90s sometime and waited til the industry was worth many billions of dollars, then had a massive payday as all of the big players were forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for "stealing" their technology to add vibration devices to game controllers.

I've no problem with software & technology patents in general, just absurdly general patents (like this one).

[IssuessBratte]

Sorry to hear that. At least he lived a pretty long life (based on your age). My grandparents were all dead by my 21st birthday.

[infollafago]

They can't *sell* it. Can they just give it away, like they do to schools to ensure that they'll have a perpetual monopoly?

[Neitteloxesia]

As a lawyer, I shouldn't have to tell you this.

As an English major, I wish to be the first to point out that this sentence is poorly constructed. Unless you got a law degree and didn't tell us.

Yay! I'm contributing to the thread.

[ssyyyrruho]

Asher, you are not a lawyer. Think of a patent like a penis. Do you want other people using your penis without your permission?

[poRmawayncmop]

Like here, stealing someone else's technology. Like in Korea, but buying out and then trashing a rival wordprocessing software company.

Do you mean Haansoft? It's still around, independent of Microsoft, and their Hangul writer is still widely used...

[NickGrass]

Office 2007 is the worst piece of shyte I've had to work with in a long time. My company paid money to replace the bundled 2007 suite with a reliable Office 2003 suite.

We have Excel 2003 created workbooks with sheets that were created under 2007 that behave as they please. Cells that reformat themselves spontaneously are maddening; you have to specify a justification or it just chooses one it likes.

And then there's Word. In any version it's a pill to work with their stylesheets, creating new styles when you accidentally hit Ctrl-B instead of Ctrl-V, for example. Word 2007 does some things I really can't be bothered to figure out. On the laptop that still hasn't been retrofitted back to 2003 I use WordPad.

[Caliwany]

Seriously.

Word 2007 is superior to Word 2003 in every way.

[BILBONDER]

For **** sakes, AAHZ, set your per-page setting to 50 like any intelligent person.

[Shootohoist]

Isn't that what I said??
*Company A is selling software that does a certain task.
*MS announces that the next version of Windows will include free software that does that very same task.
*People stop buying Company A's software. Company A goes bankrupt.
*The next version of Windows does NOT contain the promised software.

Asher darlin', the only time I talk out my ass is when I'm whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

You do little whisper farts in his ear?

[KernJetenue]

Isn't that what I said??
*Company A is selling software that does a certain task.
*MS announces that the next version of Windows will include free software that does that very same task.
*People stop buying Company A's software. Company A goes bankrupt.
*The next version of Windows does NOT contain the promised software.

Asher darlin', the only time I talk out my ass is when I'm whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

Are you lying, or are you just massively misinformed?

Are you referring to Hangul (as Q^3 tried to clarify above, which you dodged)? If so, everything in this quote of yours is demonstrably factually incorrect. They never declared bankruptcy, it just became close in 2002 due to widespread piracy -- then a patriotic campaign to support their own software brought it back from the brink. This was 3 years after MS' attempted purchase of the company. MS also never promised the new versions of Windows would do that.

Where the **** did you get this ****? Are you seriously just making this up? Cite it.

[leangarance]

-Jrabbit -- thanks, that was last week. Been back since Saturday.

[lizadax]

A noble pursuit, sir. Just keep up with the dead pool. Things are afoot...