You Might Be a Microsoft Patent Infringer 102
theodp writes "Do you use drop-down menus, alphanumerical input boxes, check boxes, radio buttons or sliders to allow client side-processing of data? Utilize SQL, HTML, ActiveX, Java, Perl, JavaScript or JScript to do so? Employ arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, or decision trees to organize things? Well Bunky, you might be infringing on Microsoft's new patent for Dynamically adjusting data values and enforcing valid combinations of the data in response to remote user input, which the USPTO granted Tuesday after 6+ years and two rejections."
Re:Oh God Not Again (Score:2, Informative)
The problem for open source developers is defending their work against bogus patents like this. Getting the patent invalidated costs real money.
Prior art for claim 1 (Score:5, Informative)
Sombody should start a petition or something (Score:2, Informative)
Misintepreted? (Score:3, Informative)
2."Utilize SQL, HTML, ActiveX, Java, Perl, JavaScript or JScript to do so" As above, none of these are being patented by microsoft
3."Employ arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, or decision trees to organize things" Again this is not what is being patented here.
4."Microsoft's new patent for Dynamically adjusting data values and enforcing valid combinations of the data in response to remote user input Oooh, so close, but you missed again.
The patent refers to items 1, 2 and 3, imlicitly or explicitly in their patent as things that are used to achieve the 'invention' they have 'created'
However number 4 is the opposite. They dont adjust data values and enforce valid combinations "in response" to remote user input. They use a process that causes the remote user to apply the rules themselves in an effort to decrease the load on the server to improve the speed of access to the page.
Also, although items 1, 2 and 3 are implicitly or explicitly mentioned in the patent, the use of them is only restricted by this patent if you do the following:
-Use them in such a way that the infrastructure of rules and options you are interacting with is WHOLLY RUN on the client side.
-Use them in a system that is used in relation to pricing for one or more items.
-Returns the result to the server After the client has validated it.
This is my interpretation of the patent after reading it. I assume that someone will soon read it even more carefully than I and debunk what I have said, but it would be nice to see the people posting articles read what they are posting about.
Dont get me wrong, its still too broad and overreaching, but its not as broad as it has been made out to be
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this does not constitute legal advice. Nor will I accept responsibility if you are caught infringing on this patent after reading what I have typed here.