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TiVo judgment is fascinating, yet frighteningPosted by Ed Burnette in Dev Connection on Jan 31, 2008 7:08 PM
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Is the word "an" singular or plural? Does having an "object" in your program imply it has to be written in an "object-oriented language"? In today's ruling against EchoStar (Dish...[Read the rest]

More Software Patents on ZDNet

Hey readers, what's your problem with Patents?
Whenever I write a post about Patents- on this blog, on my ZDNet BlackBerry Beat blog, or elsewhere- I always seem to receive a bunch of "what's new about... [Read the rest]
Posted by Russell Shaw in IP Telephony on: May 29, 2007 4:14 AM
Parsing the details of the Microsoft-Novell pact
Novell dropped its annual report Friday and with it three exhibits offering details of its SUSE Linux pact with Microsoft. Two key points: A lot of the good stuff... [Read the rest]
Posted by Larry Dignan in Between the Lines on: May 28, 2007 7:07 AM
Novell publishes details on its Microsoft patent deal
Novell has posted to the Securites and Exchange Commission (SEC) Web site redacted versions of the company's patent, business and technology agreements with Microsoft, which it signed in November 2006.... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: May 26, 2007 8:43 AM
Can Novell get its good name back?
Novell wants its good name back, with open source. But that train has left the station. Goethe wrote a great play about it once. [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: May 24, 2007 9:04 AM
Microsoft forces hard questions on open source
Microsoft is holding a sword over the head of all open source users, and all open source developers, a sword its lawyers may wield at any time to bankrupt start-ups... [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: May 24, 2007 6:59 AM
New Microsoft-funded study finds developers don't want GPL to cover patent deals
Microsoft is expending an awful lot of time and energy to try to derail the General Public License. On May 22, the latest in a long line of Microsoft-funded open-source... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: May 22, 2007 6:55 AM
Microsoft and patent claims: 'Business as usual'?
Bill Hilf, Microsoft's General Manager of Platform Strategy, has finally blogged about Microsoft's decision to go public with its claims that it has found 235 patent violations by open source... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: May 20, 2007 6:59 PM
Microsoft Windows and Office violate 532 patents?
By now I'm sure you've all read about Microsoft's latest attempt to slow down open source software adoption by asserting that Linux and other open source software violates 200+ of... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Burnette in Dev Connection on: May 17, 2007 7:52 AM
Which is the better investment, IBM or Microsoft?
Throughout this century, IBM has moved toward open source while Microsoft has tied itself to the proprietary model. Yet IBM has been the better investment. [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: May 16, 2007 7:50 AM
Microsoft: A law firm pretending to be an army pretending to be a software company
Microsoft, of course, does not really want to take you, dear enterprise, to court. They would prefer to threaten, posture, evoke concern. Most sensible armies prefer to threaten war, and... [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Gardner in BriefingsDirect on: May 15, 2007 6:58 AM
GPLv3 the impetus for Microsoft's latest Linux attack campaign
With one stroke, Microsoft has ended any illusion that it planned to try to build bridges with the open-source community. And it appears the primary reason for Microsoft's decision to... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: May 14, 2007 4:35 AM
Microsoft: Free and open source software violates 235 Microsoft patents
Microsoft finally has thrown down the gauntlet and is claiming publicly that free and open-source software (FOSS) violates 235 Microsoft patents. Why has Microsoft decided to go public now with... [Read the rest]
Posted by Mary Jo Foley in All About Microsoft on: May 13, 2007 4:46 PM
The straw men of open source
What moderates against straw men, and what limits their reach, is the community. Any argument which stands against the consensus of the community becomes an extraordinary claim, demanding extraordinary proof.... [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: May 8, 2007 7:26 AM
Sun preparing answer to Flash, Silverlight?
The details are a closely guarded secret until JavaOne opens next Tuesday. But all indications point to some kind of response from Sun to Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight. Here... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Burnette in Dev Connection on: May 4, 2007 2:14 PM
Debates over GPLv3, Novell and Microsoft
A post on OSNews regarding Novell's official response to the recent draft of the GPLv3 led to a discussion on the merits (or lack thereof) of the Novell-Microsoft deal. Not... [Read the rest]
Posted by John Carroll in A Developer's View on: Apr 3, 2007 2:30 PM
New GPLv3 draft takes aim at Microsoft/Novell but loosens crypto restrictions
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) released the long-awaited third draft of the GNU General Public License (GPL) today. In this article, I highlight the major changes and discuss their implications... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Burnette in Dev Connection on: Mar 28, 2007 2:03 PM
Which GPL Will Be At The Bottom Of The Incline?
Do we need language against software patents in order to feel that the playing field is level? Is a license which prohibits such patents explicitly more fair than one which... [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: Mar 22, 2007 11:35 AM
Niklas Zennström at VON '07: Innovation needs an open 'Net
At Video on the Net, Niklas Zennström put Skype front and center and talked about what's necessary for innovation to thrive, Jeff Pulver discussed asking for forgiveness rather than permission... [Read the rest]
Posted by Denise Howell in Lawgarithms on: Mar 20, 2007 12:57 PM
Tech Policy Summit: Patent Office head lays out reform strategy
The patent system is not broken, just not perfect. That is the viewpoint of Jon Dudas, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States... [Read the rest]
Posted by Dan Farber in Between the Lines on: Feb 27, 2007 1:04 PM
Tech Policy Summit: Fixing the patent system...soon
At the Tech Policy Summit in San Jose, the broken patent system was the topic of several panels. First, Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA) said that he coordinating with Senator Patrick... [Read the rest]
Posted by Dan Farber in Between the Lines on: Feb 26, 2007 5:39 PM
Software patents and the dependency problem
Ive long taken a dim view of software patents. I wrote this piece as far back as 2003, arguing that Europe should avoid copying the American approach to software patents,... [Read the rest]
Posted by John Carroll in A Developer's View on: Feb 23, 2007 12:34 PM
Technologists: Fix U.S. patent law now
If three technologists could tell the U.S. government what to do one of the first items would be to fix the patent system. Nothing drew the ire at a Wharton... [Read the rest]
Posted by Larry Dignan in Between the Lines on: Feb 23, 2007 10:59 AM
You can taste the irony of Microsoft's patent positions on MP3 and Linux
Yes, litigating your way to software business success has its pitfalls, and it's ironies. Trouble for Microsoft is that it has the deepest pockets in town, and therefore an IP... [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Gardner in BriefingsDirect on: Feb 23, 2007 7:23 AM
IP ant and IP grasshopper
The idea that the world would pay Verizon an IP tax on common Internet standards is absurd. It's just another way to keep the U.S. phone network marching backward, and... [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: Feb 21, 2007 8:38 AM
Should web designs be patentable?
Web pages already have substantial trademark and copyright protection. Why should patent protections be added? [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: Dec 14, 2006 8:59 AM
Do Windows users have an "undisclosed balance-sheet liability" too?
Back in November, Steve Balmer claimed Linux users had an "undisclosed balance-sheet liability" because, he said, Linux was taking advantage of Microsoft innovations and patents. Perhaps Mr. Balmer should be... [Read the rest]
Posted by Ed Burnette in Dev Connection on: Dec 11, 2006 7:38 PM
Patent reform needs to go further
The US Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments in a case that could result in tighter rules for new patents. By dancing around the meaning of the word "obvious,"... [Read the rest]
Posted by John Carroll in A Developer's View on: Nov 29, 2006 10:43 AM
Fears of Microsoft are over-blown
Americans are not going to knuckle-under to a Microsoft monopoly on software development. More particularly, the rest of the world won't. And Microsoft doesn't do politics particularly well. [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: Nov 27, 2006 7:28 AM
The commons takes on Microsoft
Which is more vital to economic growth, the idea of knowledge as property or the idea of knowledge as a commons? [Read the rest]
Posted by Dana Blankenhorn in Linux and Open Source on: Nov 24, 2006 6:37 AM
Will Aussie patents turn Wi-Fi into a house of cards?
Get ready for the WiFi tax. Theres no way vendors can back away from the Wi-Fi "standard" (in other words, this is a house of cards that probably wont come... [Read the rest]
Posted by David Berlind in Between the Lines on: Nov 21, 2006 6:52 AM
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