08.18.12
Rogue Lobbyist Microsoft Florian Ousted by Judge
“Working behind the scenes to orchestrate “independent” praise of our technology, and damnation of the enemy’s, is a key evangelism function during the Slog. “Independent” analyst’s report should be issued, praising your technology and damning the competitors (or ignoring them). “Independent” consultants should write columns and articles, give conference presentations and moderate stacked panels, all on our behalf (and setting them up as experts in the new technology, available for just $200/hour). “Independent” academic sources should be cultivated and quoted (and research money granted). “Independent” courseware providers should start profiting from their early involvement in our technology. Every possible source of leverage should be sought and turned to our advantage.”
–Microsoft, internal document [PDF]
Summary: Deception machine named by those who pay it for mass-mailing, threats, fake leaks, and propaganda
A short while back we wrote about the motion to expose shills like Florian Müller, whose shilling career goes quite a while back. Pamela Jones and myself have warned about him for a long time and yesterday she wrote that “Google and Oracle have just filed their lists of anyone they paid to write about their litigation.”
This was covered by Slashdot, which in turn cited the BBC — a pro-Microsoft publication that had cited the shill many times. Right now it writes: “Florian Mueller, a patent consultant based in Germany, revealed on 18 April that Oracle had “very recently become a consulting client” – two days after the court case began.
“He had written about the lawsuit over previous months on his influential Foss Patents blog and continued to do so after his declaration, often making comments sympathetic to Oracle’s claims.
“When questioned by the BBC he said he could provide only a limited amount of detail about the relationship.”
How convenient. And when will the BBC finally realise that this is a paid shill that it habitually quotes? Where is the apology for bad reporting? Legal publications wrote about this seemingly unprecedented case and readers told us about it. As we demonstrated before, Florian got attention because he spammed journalists. It’s an ugly, unethical operation that this shill has been running with help from PR departments that utilise him as a mouthpiece. In Web sites that he did not pressure (he aimed high) he got no respect because bloggers knew all along that he had been corrupted and was acting as a lobbyist/shill, as he had done so before. One small site spills the beans: “Oracle has admitted to the court that it retains the frequently-cited Florian Mueller of the popular blog FOSS Patents as a consultant. The official disclosure comes a week after the judge in Oracle’s lawsuit against Google took the extraordinary step of ordering both parties to reveal any paid journalists or bloggers on their payrolls. Both companies filed their responses today, and Mueller is the only person named in either filing.” Google paid nobody. Also, if you’re surprised by Mueller being paid by Oracle – I have a Paleis op de Dam to sell you.”
“And when will the BBC finally realise that this is a paid shill that it habitually quotes? Where is the apology for bad reporting?”Here is another article abut the bias ‘whore’, coming from a site that helped amplify his agenda: “Oracle says it would never give money to any outside blogger or journalist who writes about its ongoing litigation against Google – except Florian Mueller, that is. On the other hand, the database giant says Google employs an insidious “network of influencers” that it uses to “shape public perceptions” about the suit.
“Oracle made its accusations in a statement filed in response to Judge William Alsop’s request that both companies disclose any paid relationships they may have with journalists, bloggers, and other media commentators, as Groklaw’s PJ Jones reports.”
The passage of payments is a shrewd one; it’s like disguised bribery.
“Florian Mueller is also paid by Microsoft for some consultancy,” notes this article, adding: “Mueller’ blog FOSS Patents seems to have a single line agenda: to spin anti-Android stories. Some lazy journalists (who don’t want to do their own R&D) pick his stories and quote him as a patent expert. In my opinion while quoting Mueller the appropriate designation should be ‘paid Microsoft consultant’ or ‘paid Oracle consultant’ so that the reader is aware they are not reading some independent opinion, but opinion expressed by someone who is hired by these two companies.”
“The same was done by Microsoft, which has used the shill for a couple of years to spread anti-Linux bias.”To sum up: “Oracle responded to the judge’s order Friday too, saying that it was paying one blogger — Florian Mueller, who comments on the case.”
The same was done by Microsoft, which has used the shill for a couple of years to spread anti-Linux bias. He also tried spamming mass mailing Techrights with his nonsense.
Anyway, with all that in mind, the Oracle vs. Google case moves on. As Pamela Jones puts it: “Google’s lead attorney in Oracle v. Google, Robert Van Nest of Keker & Van Nest, doesn’t let any moss grow on his case. Last Friday, there was a decision in another case, Cambridge University Press v. Becker, where the court ruled that even if there is a split in who won a case, with each side winning something, what matters in terms of having the prevailing party’s costs paid is who won the most. And in Oracle v. Google, that would be Google. It’s Bill of Costs request is still pending, and now if the judge would like a case to support a decision for Google, forcing Oracle to pay it millions in costs, he has one.” █
