Bonum Certa Men Certa

Patent Trolling Versus the US Economy

Let's remind ourselves that the "be very afraid tours" can be effective. I have just heard from a friend whose company mentioned the "balance-sheet liability" remark from Steve Ballmer and then weighed it as a factor in decision making. Matt Asay opines that this tactic of intimidation may only be the beginning.

Apparently, as my friend suggested, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Maybe Gates, when he finally leaves, can set up a patent troll system of his own.


This would be unsurprising. For a long time I have argued that Bill Gates' charity endeavours will be used for political manipulations around the world. He has already been able to change laws on DRM circumvention outside the United States, maybe even the validity of software patents. More than once in the past, a charitable contribution was accompanies by a Microsoft deal that barred adoption of Linux (a case of buying a country's loyalty). This does, however, bring up many other concerns. Among them you have the impact of software developers, to whom software patents are discriminatory and predatory. They elevate the entry point and they offer no peace of mind. Have a look at this repetition of an argument we have made before.

Zemlin was more blunt, calling Microsoft's "posturing" as "empty threats from a scared giant whose monopoly is being challenged."

[...]

However, Merriam said that while larger companies are less likely to worry about Microsoft's threats, some startups might be afraid that the company could sink their businesses by suing for patents, and may consider moving offshore to escape possible litigation.


Software development, whether Microsoft will admit this or not, benefits tremendously from sharing, which is something that patents sometimes prevent. This results in smaller innovative value, harming technology and science.

Now good software has always been written by good software developers without regard for how they share it. There is a discipline to developing good software involving inspection, source code management, build automation, test automation, and facilities to encourage discussion and decision making. We all know what we should do to develop good software, but good software developers know of no other way.


Free software and patents do not mix. Any attempt to introduce a tax-saturated software development ecosystem is an attempt to destroy what Microsoft is unable to compete against. Any such attempt would result in Free software development going overseas. From there, a thriving set of projects will evolve and then battle America. Rather than Free software having its seeds grow in America, it may be driven elsewhere. Given the inevitability of Free software, Microsoft sends tomorrow's software industry en route to oblivion. But only in America.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Deja vu: Hitler's Birthday, Andreas Tille elected Debian Project Leader again
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Microsoft's 'Lawsuit Diplomacy' (SLAPPs Riding UK Libel Law and Piggybacking UK GDPR, Inapplicable!) Will Only Give a Worse Image to Microsofters (and Microsoft), Give Exposure to Even More Suppressed Facts and Scandals
Microsoft came to dominate some sectors because of (or owing to) crimes; Microsoft won't just go away without some more crimes.
Five (or Three) Years Without Social Control Media
Glyn Moody quit X (Twitter)
 
Richard Stallman in the UK This Week, Scheduled to Give Two Public Talks (London and Oxford)
Those talks do not cover the same topics
Gemini Links 21/04/2025: April, Autism, and ASN
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 20, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, April 20, 2025
Links 20/04/2025: Partly Assorted Scientific and Political Leftovers
Links for the day
Links 20/04/2025: Many Data Breaches and Growing Censorship Wave
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/04/2025: Canadian Elections and "Use the Best Tools You Have for the Current Environment"
Links for the day
Links 20/04/2025: Bleeding Constitution and ChatGPT Infuriates Users Some More
Links for the day
Chinese OEMs (and World's Largest) Pave a Path Out of Microsoft Windows
So Microsoft now values (or prices) Vista 11 at just $140?
Gemini Links 20/04/2025: Contradictions of Mark Carney and Blog Questions Challenge
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 19, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 19, 2025
Electronics in People's Bedrooms
Modern technology not only blurred the gap between "functions" of rooms
Why GNU/Linux is Growing
There's growing interest in GNU/Linux right now because people do not fancy buying a new PC just to 'upgrade' (more spying) Windows
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Contingencies, GTD, and Old Computers
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2025: Economic Races, Charm Offensives, and USB-C Rants
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2025: "Infantilization at Big Tech" and LLM Slop Abused in Defiance of Workplace Rules/Policies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Palm Addiction and Real Experts
Links for the day
Egypt is Controlled by Google, Not Microsoft
Moving from Microsoft to Google is not the answer
Microsofters Say They Cannot Find a Job (That They Want) Because of Techrights, But Techrights Merely Reported on Their Behaviour
Quit pointing the finger at people who are recipients of abuse or merely mention the abuse
Free Software and Standards - Not Marketing Blitz - Needed Amid Growing Severity of Dependency on Hostile Suppliers (or Another Country's Sovereignty)
ZenDiS can be described as the "Center for Digital Sovereignty of Public Administration"
When It Comes to the Web, Google is Evil and It Destroys the Web's Integrity With LLM Slop
Even academia, which is meant to keep standards high, is being lured into LLM slop
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 18, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 18, 2025