Microsoft Nailed by Software Patent

An anonymous reader writes "It was just announced that Microsoft lost the case where it was accused of violating Eolas' patent on embedded applications in the Internet Explorer browser. They have been fined $521 million in damages."

It's amazing..

[Plix]

A little patent-portfolio company did in one suit what the Fed couldn't in 5 years.

Great!

[freeze128]

This means there will probably just be another IE service pack that breaks more web pages....

Damnit!

[Anonymous Coward]

I just bought stock in MS too! :( At least it's first post! :)

Im so confused!!!!!!

[slash-tard]

Microsoft = bad

Patents = bad

So is this good? Must be some sort of paradox if so...

Re:Another Reason?

[Anonvmous Coward]

"Isn't this just one more reason to use MozillaFirebird?"

If I were looking to up my karma, then yes.

Re: A Half Billion:

[Black Parrot]

> The dream of a lifetime for you and me, pretty near statistically insignificant for Microsoft.

Yeah, they probably 'lose' more than that due to rounding errors when they run up their reports.

And in other news...

[Scalli0n]

From the article: "Eolas had argued that the technology for "plug-ins" and "applets" made it possible for Microsoft to compete against the Netscape Navigator browser."

In other news, SCO has also sued Mozilla for the use of "HTML" and "JavaScript" which have made it possible to be used by more than one person...

Re:out of context random starwars quote post

[handybundler]

<darthvader>
"YOU HAVE FAILED"
</darthvader>

Categories for this article explained...

[pHatidic]

You may have noticed that this article seemingly falls into 7 different categories. Let me break them down for you so you can see for yourself how each one applies to this insightful article.

Firstly, the Bill-Gates-As-Cyborg is representative of Microsoft being fucked.

Secondly, the IE icon with the broken halo is representative of Microsoft falling from grace.

Thirdly, the circuitboard was just misclick by Taco.

Fourthly, the patent pending icon is representative of Cyborg-Bill being stabbed in the back by a rusty spoon.

Fifthly, the hat on briefcase thing also represents Microsoft being fucked.

Sixthly, the internet thing represents my posting this on slashdot about Microsoft being fucked.

Lastly, the newspaper icon represents joe sixpack reading in weekly world news tomorrow that Microsoft is being fucked.

In Summary...

[Anonymous Coward]

Boo: Overbroad Patents!
Boo: This patent is stupid!
Boo: Microsoft in general!
Yay: Microsoft has to pay money!
Boo: It's too little money!
Solution to this:
Yay: Mozilla!
Yay: Slashdot!

Re:Sounds familiar

[Poofat]

Obviously, you were rejected because you rounded the 520.6 million down instead of up.

I'm Confused

[Drakonian]

Monday is Microsoft hating day. But Tuesday is patent-hating day. Well, since it was posted at 11:58 EST I guess I'll stick with Microsoft hating.

Stupid Microsoft! J00 G0+ 0W#3D! Thatt'll show you to write crappy code! Now you have to PAY. MUHAHAHAHAH.

$521 million? To MS?

[Tumbleweed]

Can you say, 'Rounding Error'?

I knew you could.

Re:Before you start bitching about slashdot users.

[j1mmy]

Your post is completely and utterly worthless. Mine is of similar caliber.

Re:It's amazing..

[dago]

you mean get rich and retire ?

Re:Im so confused!!!!!!

[GreatOgre]

two wrongs don't make a right

No, but three rights make a left :)

Re:Damnit!

[Anonymous Coward]

You're not doing so well today are you?

Re:Another Reason?

[child_of_mercy]

I'm sure you meant "IE is available free of charge".

Re:Well, then....

[BobTheJanitor]

More accurately, microsoft is a subset of evil, and patents is a subset of evil. The most that can be said is "Because some evil is microsoft, and some evil is patents, some microsoft may be patents."

Re:Another Reason?

[Rooked_One]

I plug my lamp into sockets... Is that considered a plug-in?

What about the obligitory "PLUG IT IN PLUG IT IN!"

IMO this is just getting rediculous... this is almost as bad as the whole "buy it now" patent.

Re:This is very very bad

[Hatta]

This screws Flash, Java applets, and all kinds of other things.

Man, this rocks!

Let me just make sure I've got all the rules...

[Anonymous Coward]

1) Patents are bad
2) Microsoft is bad
3) When a patent dispute goes against Microsoft, ignore rule #1
4) While(TRUE) SCO = evil

Another typical day at /.

What's that...

[euxneks]

What's that money to them... Bill Gate's Pocket Cash?

I can see it in court now..

Bill G.: Sorry.. How much was that?... Yeah sure.. just a sec.. *flip flip* there yeh go! Now run along and don't bother me again!

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Amazing grace indeed..

[Alsee]

Ironic is aready an adjective: there is no need to add -al to it.

He was just trying to adjectival it.

-

Re:It's amazing..

[Feztaa]

Hello? This is Microsoft we're talking about. $500 million dollars is pocket change. If Billy happened to find $500 million dollars lying on the ground, he probably wouldn't bother to pick it up.

Besides, none of this matters, because software patents are EVIL! Yes, they are even more EVIL than Microsoft! And it doesn't matter that the victim is also EVIL, the patents themselves are still EVIL!

Re:Microsoft on side of patent reform?

[The Master Control P]

"but I honestly don't think Microsoft is evil - just greedy."

*WOPR voice* What's The Difference, Dr. Falken?

Re:It's amazing..

[EJB]

I believe they claimed Microsoft violated US patents # 000.000,000,001 (the '1 patent) and # 000,000,000,002 (the '2 patent).

The '1 patents lays out a "way to rule a country comprised of dozens of states" and the '2 patent describes the taxation of citizens of a huge country.

Re:It's amazing..

[spongman]

Isn't the federal government supposed to own exclusive rights to be an oversized behemoth that takes everyone's money and does nothing of any use to anybody?

Microsoft Sued... By Stupid Patent Abusers

[dupper]

Does Not Compute - Slashbot Overloa....... (no carrier)

Re:David v. Goliath

[EzInKy]

The two best ways to profit from a bogus patent is to either go for small amounts from small companies that will settle before defending, or to go after the largest companies that jealous lawyers will perceive as having too much money. The courts are desparate to show that they are "for the people" and that bogus patents defend the people.

That would make the answer obvious then, wouldn't it? Just have Microsoft demonstrate to the court how they stand up against corporate greed to further the rights of the "little man" and they are in like flint B-).

Re:A Half Billion:

[AllUsernamesAreGone]

Hold on a minute - not only are you related to a shareholder of a company engaged in /. reader's 2nd most despised activity in the universe, you then come onto /., own up to that fact and then make thinly veiled threats about other browsers.

Either you have a death wish for your servers or you are monumentally short-sighted.

Re:Great!

[EzInKy]

sorry, a little off topic, but i think it fits with the above mentioned problem with the web today, plus, it's fresh in my mind, cause i'm dealing w/ a PITA type of guy right now.

Tell you what...why don't you offer the "PITA" a deal? You give up claim to all the "IP"" you own, and he gives up claim to all the "IP" he owns?

Flaw in Eolas' case

[BenjyD]

>"...Microsoft has made extensive use of Eolas'
>technology to make its Internet Explorer the
>best-of-breed browser"

Best of breed? I thought perjury was a serious crime in US courts.

Here's how it went...

[Anita Coney]

Judge: Mr. Gates, your company owes Eolas $521 million in damages.

Gates: Sure, let me get my wallet!

Hang on this can't be right...

[shades66]

I thought Microsoft, like SCO, respected other peoples IP !?!?

Re:Indeed

[B'Trey]

Even when it's against someone "evil", like Microsoft. Which I don't believe for a second. Evilness doesn't exist, only ignorance.

I'll agree that Evil doesn't exist, in the sense of a disembodied force or being. However, evil certainly does exist. Microsoft isn't ignorant. They are well aware of what they are doing - it's a deliberate strategy. Microsoft wants to rule the IT market, and could care less about the free market or fair trade. I call that "evil." I call it that because of it's effect. You can call it something else, if you like, but then we're merely arguing semantics.

Evil, (one of) thy name(s) is Microsoft. For the moment. In a past life, it was called IBM (now one of the good guys.) In the future, it'll be something else. But evil does exist.

Re:It's amazing..

[WWWWolf]

The '1 patents lays out a "way to rule a country comprised of dozens of states"

...with a system consisting of traction wheels...

and the '2 patent describes the taxation of citizens of a huge country.

...using a wool manufacturing widget (which probably implies the citizens are Sheep who are to be sheared for taxation).

Don't blame me, this is what the USPTO patent search says =)

Re:It's amazing..

[md65536]

Don't be retarded. Bill would pick up a single dollar if he happened to find it on the ground. If he didn't, someone else might get it.

MS isn't the victim of anything in this case. They made a ton of cash on other peoples' work, why stand up for them when they have to give some of it away?

Re:Software patents are bad, even if MS has to pay

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry, but due to the Sonny Bono Memorial Act, patents on mathematical discoveries are now in effect eternally.

Therefore, you may not figure out the length of one side of a right triangle using the lengths of the other two sides without sending Pythagoras a check for $699.

Re:Amazing grace indeed..

[Deven]

With guns and sanctions they dictate who can use what technology, because someone were "first". Come on! Most of us stopped such silliness in the kindergarden.

We need educational reform to stem the rampant use of guns and sanctions in kindergarten!