Bonum Certa Men Certa

Update on Patent Failures and Microsoft Lawsuits Against Linux Companies

Building patent fences

Fences



Summary: News about the patent system in general and about Microsoft's role in the fight against Android

IN a system that permits and even encourages monopolies on ideas, no wonder even behaviour gets patented [1, 2, 3]. It's all rather insane. Recently I was learning and working on the technical side of Splunk, which now turns out to be getting patents on searching log files. Are system administrators about to be massive-scale infringers? Why are abstract things being classified as patentable?

"Why are abstract things being classified as patentable?"Based on this news, Nokia is trying to get a patent on vibrating tattoos while still colluding with Microsoft (exploiting academia for brainwash) -- the company that gets patents on goggles [1, 2, 3] and fights Google with patents.

The economic system is fundamentally flawed when monopoly is assumed to be beneficial. This results in consolidation and strengthening of very few companies, including Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle.

Not too long ago we saw Microsoft suing with patents a company that famously uses Linux. This was called off only after a counter-suit, which merely led to deterrence:

TiVo Inc. (TIVO) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) agreed to dismiss their patent litigation against each other Thursday, after TiVo's settlement with Microsoft's partner AT&T (T) eliminated the motivation for the suits.


Had the target of Microsoft's litigation been a smaller company without any patents, the story would have ended differently. TiVo is not a really small company. In fact, TiVo has used the USPTO for turf wars for quite a few years. Considering the status of software patents in Europe, this would not have worked everywhere. And even Microsoft, in its patent fight against Android, is trying to shift a fight from Germany to the US. To quote:

Microsoft has filed a motion in the US to stop Motorola Mobility from enforcing an injunction it may win in a German court next month.

The software behemoth asked a stateside judge to "preserve the status quo" in the market pending the outcome of a separate Microsoft-Motorola patent face-off in a Washington court.

Microsoft hopes to strike a worldwide licensing deal with Motorola in that US legal battle - but fears the enforcement of an injunction in Germany will derail hope for a global agreement.

Redmond lawyers filed their case against Motorola Mobility in America in November 2010 and the German lawsuit was brought by Motorola in July 2011 - so Microsoft is essentially saying that Motorola shouldn't be allowed to go behind its back and hamstring it in Europe over the same issues.


Motorola is now almost equivalent Google, at least the mobile division. Microsoft is trying to hack hard at the source. If patents are removed, Microsoft will sink.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Even Technical Articles and HowTos From UNIXMen Nowadays Seem to be LLM Slop
We've just permanently removed the RSS feed of UNIXMen
The FSF's 2024 End-of-Year Fundraiser Succeeds: Over $400k to Support Software Freedom
That's worth bringing up again because the SFC is trying to 'crash' this achievement of the FSF
[Meme] Fentanylware (TikTok) Banned in the United States, Next Up European Union (EU)
And the United Kingdom (UK)
President Biden is Right, "Free Press is Crumbling" and the United States Exports Its Media-Hostile Culture to Other Continents
perhaps Biden should pay closer attention to how Donald Trump-inspired Americans take their battles to other continents
Guardian Digital, Inc (linuxsecurity.com) Uses Microsoft-Controlled Front Groups and LLM Slop in Order to Spread Microsoft-Directed Anti-Linux FUD
Microsoft garbage likely produced by Microsoft LLMs, spewing out Microsoft FUD
Thank You, London! There Was No Way to Still Reliably Host Gemini From Home (on a Raspberry Pi 4) Due to Scale
The only regret we've long had is that we hadn't made the move earlier
The Summit of Future (Kerala, 2025): Dr. Richard Stallman (RMS) to Give Keynote Talk
promotional video was uploaded
 
RMS 'Inauguration' in Montpellier (Government Administration) on January 20th
Happy hacking
Links 17/01/2025: TikTok Banned by the United Stated (SCOTUS Rejects Appeal)
Links for the day
Software Freedom Conservancy Inc (SFC) Makes It Obvious It's Just a Copycat Trying to Exploit or Leech Off the FSF's (and GNU's) Work
They swim next to the rich people (who "match")
Links 17/01/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) Herds Its (Drug) Users Into Even More Harmful "Apps"
Links for the day
Likely Fake 'Article' About Linux Mint 22.1
BetaNews fired up its plagiarism machine (LLM)
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, January 16, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, January 16, 2025
Links 16/01/2025: Conflicts, Overpopulation, and Software Patents
Links for the day
[Meme] Lock-down With DRM Server/s (in a Nutshell)
Companies like Microsoft and Apple have a 'God complex'
Richard Stallman's Talk This Coming Monday (European 'Tour')
bunch of talks in Europe
Total Lock-down Ambitions - Part II - Down to the Very Core, Including the Hardware (CPU, GPU, Peripherals, and More)
instead of distinguishing themselves and antagonising these broadly reviled "antifeatures", both Canonical and IBM decided to join Microsoft in advocating lockdown
FSF, Guardian of the GNU Project, to Reach $400,000 in Winter Fundraiser Ahead of 40th Anniversary
The GNU Project Turns 42 later this year
Links 16/01/2025: "Meduza, IRL" and the Clock is Ticking on TikTok in the US
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/01/2025: Yesterday's Gone, The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E Howard
Links for the day
Computer Users Aren't Zoo Animals
Animals don't belong inside cages in zoos, either
Links 16/01/2025: Scale and Scope of Microsoft Layoffs Revealed (Two Waves of Layoffs in 2025 Already)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/01/2025: Meta Has a Pixelfed Problem and Space Time Scoping
Links for the day
Anti-Linux 'Articles' in linuxsecurity.com (Guardian Digital, Inc) Are Composed by Bots, Probably Microsoft's
linuxsecurity.com has become a mindless stream of LLM slop
"New Year, New Career"
published a few hours ago
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, January 15, 2025
If You See Many Microsoft Puff Pieces That All Say More or Less the Same, Consider the Possibility That Microsoft LLMs 'Wrote' Those
There are also many phantom fake 'reports' about Microsoft in relation to some "hey hi" (AI) things
[Meme] The Crybully
Crybullies shrug
IRC Logs Complete in Geminispace (Even in GemText Format!)
We still envision ourselves - a community of justice-seeking enthusiasts - as a multi-protocol platform, not just some ordinary Web site
It Was Only a Matter of Time
We're going to pursue justice
[Meme] "Well, He’s Dead So," Bill Gates Tells the Media (Which He Pays) About His Close Friend Jeffrey Epstein
Does the police in San Francisco cover up crimes instead of solving them?
The Rumour Was Right, Today is the Second Large Wave of Microsoft Layoffs in 2025
It has only been two weeks since the year began
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) Has Had a Good 2025 Already (Its "Year 40")
FSF will reach $400,000
[Meme] Not About How Many Locks One Adds
Some people try to point their fingers in all the wrong directions now that a new patch is available for rsync
Total Lock-down Ambitions - Part I - DRM and TPM Need Not be the Future of Computing, There's Another Way
Who is being restricted? Us, the users.
[Meme] His Existence is Proof It's Not Infeasible
We salute the FSF's original mission
New Upcoming Series About DRM and TPM
We'll do our best to name and explain some of the alternatives that are still available
Links 15/01/2025: Efforts to End Wars and 'Newsflation'
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/01/2025: Abandoning Windows for GNU/Linux, SIS Progress Update
Links for the day
Links 15/01/2025: Social Control Media Spreading Lies, TikTok Banned in 4 Days
Links for the day
More Microsoft Cuts and Layoffs (Microsoft Media Mole Jordan Novet Tries to Float "Hiring Freezes" Spin After the "Headcount" Spin Failed)
As one might expect...
Microsoft Breaks Linux Again
Does it even care? It's selling Windows.
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, January 14, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, January 14, 2025