Bonum Certa Men Certa

Marketing and Public Relations Patents

Monitor



Summary: Promotional patents on ideas that are neither new nor particularly revolutionary, courtesy of Microsoft of course

This post is not about "Public Relations" (PR) or the patents that Microsoft's PR department (Waggener Edstrom) obtains on AstroTurfing-related methods. It is about Microsoft 'fan press' hyping up Microsoft's attempt to monopolise old electromyography-based ideas. As Rupert Goodwins (ZDNet) put it several months ago, Microsoft Research is about marketing/PR. And as Jessica Sterling sarcastically puts it, "let's patent it to slow any potential innovation!"



Microsoft -- like Edison -- wants to gain another monopoly on ideas (or small variation of them) that may already exist and no single person claims ownership of (it probably goes back to the nineteens if not the eighties, just like touchscreens). This time it's the idea that muscular/vascular activity can trigger some action rather than motion that goes beyond pulses. OpenBytes explains why this is problematic without discussing the lack of novelty.

So lets see why some people think like this. Its being reported that Microsoft is pushing a “new” innovation. Now before you all groan or start checking to see if a MS third party has used some of your code, lets have a look at what I think is a truly frightening vision of the future involving Microsoft.


It is not as though Microsoft really honours patents, as the i4i case has hopefully taught everyone [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Software patents just don't apply to Microsoft. Moreover, the i4i case may not be over yet.

...Updegrove suggests two ways this "fight" will come to an end: First, i4i may still be willing to settle "if the offer is high enough." Or, if the version of Microsoft Word sold on Jan. 11 does not meet i4i's expectations in terms of non-infringement, the case could be back in court.


Oracle -- unlike Microsoft [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] -- does not seem to be using its patents against Free software. This is why Microsoft is so often discussed in the context of patents. It's not a fixation, and those who ignore the problem with Microsoft's obsession (with patents) will not magically make this problem go away.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Windows Has Fallen to All-Time Lows in Switzerland Since GNU Celebrated 40th Anniversary (GNU’s 40th Birthday in Biel, Switzerland)
GNU/Linux has been doing well in Switzerland
One Person's Take on Jef Spaleta, the New Fedora Project Leader
"With a little searching, I wonder what else may be found regarding Microsoft."
LLM Slop Has Virtually Killed unixmen.com and Many Other Sites
There's no longer any incentive to write real articles in there
Taking a Moral Stand Against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and the Worst Offenders/Facilitators
Any other stance would sidle with moral depravity or moral hazard
 
UAE: GNU/Linux and Android at Record Levels, Windows at New Lows and Falling Below Apple
Even iOS is measured as bigger than Windows this month
Links 07/04/2025: Reddit Occupied (Social Control Media Controlled by Oligarchy), Demise of Globalisation Ongoing
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 06, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, April 06, 2025
Links 07/04/2025: Leaving Gemini/smolweb and Mastodon Migrations
Links for the day
In Iraq, Windows 3.1 (Percent)
There's also zero
Links 06/04/2025: Flood, Cool Gemini Capsule, and Long Form
Links for the day
Links 06/04/2025: Science, Politics, and Pricier Goods
Links for the day
Sharp Declines for Microsoft Windows in Bangladesh (Pop. ~175,000,000), Big Gains for GNU/Linux
Microsoft Windows has been having a really hard time in poor countries
Links 06/04/2025: Fake Reviews, Privatisation Heists, and "AI" as Smokescreen for Impoverishing Humans
Links for the day
Links 06/04/2025: Many New Acts of Repression and Elements of Financial Depression
Links for the day
In Qatar GNU/Linux Rose From Under 1% to Over 4% in Two Years (or Over 5% If Counting ChromeOS)
It's a big improvement compared to what we saw last year
LLM Scrapers Are a Nuisance, But They're Also a Reminder It's Time to Make Your Site Static
Perhaps the best protection is the ability to endure surges
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 05, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 05, 2025
Links 06/04/2025: Attacks on Education, Fake Patents, and Fake (Illegal) Patent Courts
Links for the day
France: Apple and Microsoft Down, GNU/Linux Up to New Record Levels
How will tariffs against France impact things in the coming months?
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: What Was Reported to the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)
We hope to finish this whole lot within a week, then move on to election, lobbying etc.
Links 05/04/2025: Tariffs Backfiring, YouTuber Arrested, X/Twitter Set to be Fined
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/04/2025: Offline is For Everyone, Copyright Colonialism, and More
Links for the day
Links 05/04/2025: TikTok Unsold (Still), Royal Society is Dead
Links for the day
Techrights Will Spend the Next Few Years Writing a Lot About Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)
It's a growing problem
The State of EPO Staff's Health in Rijswijk or The Hague
We're going to cover the EPO some more later in the month
NVIDIA Corp Lost 36% of Its "Value" Since Cheeto Inauguration, But "Gen Hey Hi" (GenAI) is Totally Not a Bubble
Selling loads of unneeded hardware based on hysterical hype; like selling shovels during a Gold Rush
GNU/Linux Growing in East Asia, Windows by Default No More?
GNU/Linux is now on the shelf
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux 'Articles' From Linux-Hostile LLMs
It is almost always negative things and nobody can be held responsible for it except the charlatans prompting the LLMs
Links 05/04/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) "Sale Looks Highly Imminent" (US), Stock Market Drowning in Panic
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/04/2025: Moving Plants, No to Smartwatches, RAID Hygiene
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 04, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 04, 2025