Is Microsoft About To Declare Patent War On Linux? 204
Glyn Moody writes "Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, has just published a piece called 'Apple v. HTC: A Step Along the Path of Addressing IP Rights in Smartphones.' In it, he notes that today's smartphones are all about the 'software stack,' not the 'radio stack,' and that 'as the IP situation settles in this space and licensing takes off, we will see the patent royalties applicable to the smartphone software stack settle at a level that reflects the increasing importance software has as a portion of the overall value of the device. In the interim, though, we should expect continued activity.' That 'activity' obviously means lawsuits against those producing those software stacks, and Gutierrez seems to be hinting strongly that Microsoft intends to join in. So where does that leave all the Linux-based stacks such as the increasingly-popular Android? Is this just a clever way for Microsoft to start a patent war on Linux without appearing to do so?"
Re:FUD article (Score:5, Informative)
Is Microsoft About To Declare Patent War On Linux?
Title is sensationalist, has nothing to with the first article. And well, parent has rightly pointed out the FUD-ness of the 2nd article.
Re:Don't publish in the US (Score:5, Informative)
Have you forgotten ACTA? That rancid pustule from a diseased whore's ass is supposed to ensure that everone, everywhere on earth complies with US patent and copyright law.
And, believe me, Microsoft has a voice in ACTA. ALL the rights holders in the world with more than a couple million dollars at stake has bought a chair in the discussions. You will note that voters, taxpayers, and citizens have no voice . . .
You left one out (Score:3, Informative)
Namely the "secrets" of the Masonic Lodge. Which turned out to be nothing more than a harmless, rather silly, initiation ritual and not secret at all. In fact, the Masons cooperated fully with the filming of the show.
Re:FUD article (Score:3, Informative)
So Microsoft is now using Apple as a proxy in a patent war with Linux.
What I can't figure out is why this was listed as an Apple story at all since Apple is only tangentially related. Better that it had been labeled "Microsoft" since even "Linux" would have been a stretch.