Erik Funkenbusch wrote:
> On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 10:58:22 +0000, Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| What I would like to say to Steve is echoing Pamela Jones's sentiments.
>>| Tell us where it is, Steve--this infringement you speak of. I'm sure
>>| lots of people will be willing to pick up a metaphorical scalpel and
>>| dig out the offending bit of code. I wouldn?t want to OWE you, Steve.
>> `----
>
> Wow, this is so wrong on so many levels. First, the "oops, we're sorry,
> we won't do it again" defense won't hold up. Microsoft had to pay Eolas
> millions of dollars for a very tiny patent they were then enjoined from
> using afterwards. A company like Red Hat could be liable for thousands of
> dollars in royalties (and penalties) for each distributed copy of Linux.
> Now, it might be hard to prove who gave who a copy, but they can certainly
> be liable for direct downloads and sales. That kind of fine could cripple
> just about any company.
That lawsuit involved the use of plug-ins, which required Microsoft to do a
substantial re-write of their Internet Browser.
> Second, this assumes there is an offending "bit" of code. A patent could
> cover a broad invention that could cover thousands or even millions of
> lines of code. Or it might be something so ingrained in a key piece that
> it could force developers to use a highly inefficient algorithm to get
> around it, making the OS slow as dirt.
Like:
PAT. NO. Title
D531,184 Body shape for keyboard
D531,185 Image for a portion of a display screen
D531,187 Icon for a portion of a display screen
D531,188 Icon for a portion of a display screen
D531,219 Portion of an input device
D531,658 Type font
D531,667 Portion of an input device
D532,034 Type font
D532,035 Type font
D532,036 Type font
7,132,595 Beat analysis of musical signals
7,134,094 Automatic assigning of shortcut keys
7,134,756 Selectable projector and imaging modes of display table
7,134,887 Wall socket connector for AC adapters
7,136,866 Media identifier registry
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HPT
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