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Re: Microsoft's Former CTO is Attacking the US Industry With Software Patents

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____/ High Plains Thumper on Saturday 23 Jul 2011 10:36 : \____

> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> 
>> ,----[ Quote ] [...]
>>> The growth of lawsuits in the US by so-called "patent trolls" â
>>> which do not make anything but simply demand payments after
>>> asserting intellectual property rights â threatens to snuff out the
>>> booming mobile app market, which is expected to be worth Â4.5bn
>>> this year and double that in 2012. A number of patent-owning
>>> companies have begun lawsuits in the US against more than a dozen
>>> software companies. However, many small independent developers find
>>> the costs of a lawsuit too onerous, even given that they could run
>>> into thousands of dollars.
>> `----
>> 
>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/22/angry-birds-maker-rovio-sued-by-lodsys
> 
> Looks like the USPTO has opened Pandora's Box, by permitting abstract
> thought expressed in software code without as a function of a physical
> component to be patented. It would not surprise me that much is
> patenting prior art, which requires an expensive lawsuit to debunk.
> 
> Also, confirming my point is hindrance to small developer growth,
> because these frivolous lawsuits are expensive. Ernie Ball made this
> point similar analogy during his software licensing fiasco that caused
> his company to abandon Microsoft technologies for other vendor products
> and open source including Linux.
> 
> [quote]
> Did you want to settle?
> 
> Never, never. That's the difference between the way an employee and an
> owner thinks. They attacked my family's name and came into my community
> and made us look bad. There was never an instance of me wanting to give
> in. I would have loved to have fought it. But when (the BSA) went to
> Congress to get their powers, part of what they got is that I
> automatically have to pay their legal fees from day one. That's why
> nobody's ever challenged them--they can't afford it. My attorney said it
> was going to cost our side a quarter million dollars to fight them, and
> since you're paying their side, too, figure at least half a million.
> It's not worth it. You pay the fine and get on with your business.
> [/quote]
> 
> Read more: http://news.cnet.com/2008-1082_3-5065859.html#ixzz1Sv45SzhT

He does not like being known for his fight against Microsoft rather
than his music skills. 

- -- 
		~~ Best of wishes

Dr. Roy S. Schestowitz (Ph.D. Medical Biophysics), Imaging Researcher
http://Schestowitz.com  | GNU/Linux administration | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Editor @ http://techrights.org & Broadcaster @ http://bytesmedia.co.uk/
GPL-licensed 3-D Othello @ http://othellomaster.com
Non-profit search engine proposal @ http://iuron.com
Contact E-mail address (direct): s at schestowitz dot com
Contact Internet phone (SIP): schestowitz@xxxxxxxxx (24/7)
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