A fairly respectable publication comes out with an angry article that contains some very critical tone. As we mentioned the other day (without concrete proof), Microsoft is willing to take things to court as long as it creates a scare. The fragment below seems to confirm this. It also contradicts a recent promise made by Microsoft, however vague that promise may have been.

These moves have excalated from private lawsuits against individuals to open hostility against the world of free software and most recently, to inking cross-licensing (i.e.: "protection") agreements.

All of this is, naturally, under the guise of "improving interoperability" between software products.

Mind the headline, which speaks about "bullying". The "private lawsuits" part is fairly new, but it is far from being the first time that Microsoft does such things secretly. It refuses to talk (or rejects the opportunity to talk) about 'collection' of Free software 'tax' from businesses. What type of patents does it speak about, if any at all? Anything like this one?

An entrepreneur believes he's struck gold with the rights to a 1999 patent for location-based search that he says is being infringed upon by some of the internet's biggest players.

What an innovative idea...! Serving different results to different audiences based on location. Who would have thought about this??? Is there any prior art?

Whatever people are afraid of (or paying for), it could be as fundamental as the double click. It is time to escape the bubble and tell the world what is truly happening behind the scenes. Let us challenge the FUD rather than shut our eyes.