Doug's Mailbag: MS and Patents
Here's some reader thoughts on Microsoft's sue-happy approach to patents:
Is MS patenting code or ideas? The idea of efficient page loading... Right. Someone else seeing your implementation and figuring out their own way of doing something like that is not patentable.
Even in the patent litigious drug market there are many medicines for headaches. Did the other drug makers copy the idea of the first?
Lawyers are bringing down this country and stifling innovation.
-Anonymous
'Striking upon the Google OS with great vengeance and furious anger. And instead of lightning or pestilence, Microsoft is using U.S. courts, laying its vengeance ...'
Ezekiel 25:17 -- famously quoted buy Jules (Samuel L Jackson) in Pulp Fiction
-Trent
If you were MS and had a bevy of corporate lawyers on retainer, many of which specialize in patent law, and you were getting your bloated narcissistic butt kicked in an entire computing market sector, what would you do? Don't give me that "I would develop a better product and win customer loyalty" crap. You would do what the rest of American mega-corporations would do: litigate.
-Mike
One Redmond Report reader shares his insight on Microsoft's product naming policy:
Several years ago, I asked a Microsoft employee about the products marked by their year. He told me the year on those products refer to the Microsoft fiscal year they were shipped. I believe their fiscal years end June 30.
It's possible he was talking out of his rear, but I thought I'd pass that along.
-Tony
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Posted by Doug Barney on 03/25/2011 at 1:18 PM