OT: MS funny quote...

[Robin Laing]

Scot L. Harris wrote:
> On Tue, 2004-08-10 at 09:54, Thom Paine wrote:
> 
>>Isn't this GMail's claim to fame?
>>So MS owns Google now?
>>
>>On Tue, 2004-08-10 at 09:48, Rui Miguel Seabra wrote:
>>
>>> Searches will extend
>>>   across all data like e-mail, photos, Word. "We're creating things,"
>>>   he says.
> 
> 
> You forgot, Microsoft is laying the ground work to patent all of these
> ideas.  So in 2007 when the patent is granted they can come back and
> extort all those companies that have implemented and been using the
> concepts for all these years.
> 
> It's all about prior art.  Now Microsoft can point to that memo and
> claim prior art. 
> 
> 

Maybe this is the time to look into a linux patent site that uses 
Creative Commons or Groklaw or some combination of services to patent 
Linux innovation under a common umbrella.  It could be a service or 
site where the common person could put forward ideas that are then 
patented under a GPL group.

As the US is starting to force other countries to follow their laws 
about patents, it may be time to do this.

I was thinking about this on the weekend after reading about Australia 
being forced to bring in DMCA type laws for part of a trade agreement 
with the US.

Here is a link to a project to bust patents.
   <http://www.eff.org/patent/>

It would be fun to turn the tides on Microsoft with a Linux Patent.

If this isn't an issue, look at Munich stopping it's move to Linux 
under suspicion of legal hassles.

I hate to say it but it is time that Linux advocates started using the 
patent system as a defense as well.  It is time for developers to make 
a index or library of prior work to protect their principles.

-- 
Robin Laing