Bonum Certa Men Certa

Latest Software Patent Lawsuit Against GNU/Linux (GNOME) is Connected to Microsoft

Pay closer attention to the game, not the players (or show and actors)

Leigh Rothschild
Photo source: Intellectual Ventures (which has since then removed the page connecting it to the troll that's now suing GNOME, i.e. GNU/Linux)



Summary: Armed by the biggest patent troll of Microsoft, Rothschild Patent Imaging LLC not only threatens but also sues Free software that's part of standard GNU/Linux desktops

HAVING just returned home I was saddened to find out that GNOME had been sued. The information became public only a few hours ago and the corresponding legal documents are already online. Tux Machines will, as usual, keep a dynamic list of articles (updated as more coverage and/or information arrives). We have some important remarks to make on this newsworthy event, particularly considering the origin of the patent troll -- a subject nobody appears to be researching or even touching. We covered it here in past years (thankfully we spent many years tracking these things closely).



"We covered it here in past years (thankfully we spent many years tracking these things closely)."Early coverage said that "GNOME Foundation is Being Sued Because of Shotwell Photo Manager"; notice who they target (GNOME) and remember that funds over there are very limited and are often used for practical needs. They recently received a large and generous donation anonymously. Legal fights such as this are incredibly expensive and may drain the 'piggy bank', so this is no laughing matter.

Techrights wrote a LOT about this particular patent troll. Why does he pick on GNU/Linux and why now? Might Red Hat staff realise, at long last, that many of these lawsuits are connected to Microsoft? Red Hat staff is now formally employed by a company that lobbies hard for those patents -- those which are often voided by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and US courts. Those are the patents that patent trolls now use against a Red Hat 'darling', GNOME.

"This patent lawsuit is connected not only to Microsoft (just check where this patent troll gets his patents from) but also a super-close friend of Bill Gates (he supports the troll personally)."Some Techrights articles about this particular patent troll already explained the connection to Microsoft, e.g. [1, 2, 3].

"GNOME Will “Vigorously Defend” Shotwell in Lawsuit," said one headline. This is proving that Techrights focused on the right issues all along. Where were other groups, including the FSF and FSFE?

This patent lawsuit is connected not only to Microsoft (just check where this patent troll gets his patents from) but also a super-close friend of Bill Gates (he supports the troll personally).

Microsoft, which funds and runs it, says it "loves Linux"..."

"This is the kind of situation when 26,000 Techrights articles become very handy and invaluable for research (many of the Web pages we cited have since then been removed, but we have copies)"Of course you do, Microsoft...

Of course.

LWN is the latest to write about it; like the prior two blog reports, however, it neglects to mention that this patent troll is connected to Microsoft. It probably just doesn't know. "Stay tuned," Corbet wrote, "more details will surely emerge."

Oh certainly. Stay tuned as we already have plenty of details in past articles (including the three listed above). This is the kind of situation when 26,000 Techrights articles become very handy and invaluable for research (many of the Web pages we cited have since then been removed, but we have copies). Intellectual Ventures has already removed the reference page above (the one where the above photo was originally extracted from).

Recent Techrights' Posts

Slopwatch: Fake Articles About "Linux", Slop Images in VentureBeat, Linux Foundation Spam Made With LLM Slop and Slop Images
The only relief or upside - if any exists - is that the pace of slop was down a bit this week
Richard Stallman (RMS) Talk in Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress Will be Remote
This past week RMS received lots of accolades online
Links 28/08/2025: Chatbots Distorting/Fabricating History and Also Driving Suicide
Links for the day
 
Representing and Speaking for Animals
If I ever choose to take this matter to tribunal with animals-centric NGOs on my side, it'll get some press coverage for sure
No, 4Chan is Not Fighting for You by Lawyering Up Against Ofcom (UK)
Don't mistake proto-fascists for people who "fight for you". They don't.
Downlplaying the Impact of "UEFI 9/11" is a Losing Strategy
we won't publish much whilst on holiday
In Many Places in the World Vista 11 "Market Share" is Going Down, Not Up
In some countries Windows is already down to third place or lower
More Microsoft-Connected Layoffs, at Least Third Time This Month! (Also Another Death on Campus)
Microsoft as a "gaming" company is where studios, projects, games, and even developers come to die
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 28, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 28, 2025
Gemini Links 29/08/2025: Poems, Games, and Java 25 Performance
Links for the day
Links 28/08/2025: Greenland 'Interferences' by US and Skinnerboxes to Get Banned in Korean Schools
Links for the day
The Register MS (Run by Microsoft Operatives): Free Software is Putin, Hence Evil and Dangerous
The current editor in chief is an American Microsofter, the previous one went to work for Google (US)
Gemini Links 28/08/2025: Back in Japan and Why "Hacker News" Sucks
Links for the day
A Much-Needed Wake-up Call to Users of Wordpress.com, Blogspot, Substack and All Those Other Outsourced (and Centralised) Platforms
There are several lessons in there
The UEFI 9/11 - Part II - Campaign of Censorship and Defamation Against Critics
In dictatorships, humour serves an important role. It's tragic.
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Resists Software Freedom, Even by Attacking Its Own
The OSI is compromised
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Slopwatch: linuxsecurity.com, Slopfarms in Google News, and More
Some readers of ours end up sending us links that are from slopfarms, not realising those are slopfarms
Gemini Links 27/08/2025: Katrina Memories and Google Versus Software Freedom
Links for the day
Links 27/08/2025: Police Against Media Freedom in the UK, Energy-Hungry Countries Targeted by China
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows Fell to All-Time Lows in Egypt This Summer, Vista 11 Adoption Decreases While GNU/Linux Increases
Vista 11 is going down rather than up
Links 27/08/2025: Microsoft Demoralises Staff With Slop Demands, Leaving Mastodon Explained
Links for the day
12 Hours Ago The Register MS Published a Fake (Paid-for) Article, But This One for a Change Did Not Promote a Ponzi Scheme
There are also Free software alternatives, but they don't pay The Register MS for "synthetic" so-called 'journalism'
More People Need to Call Out and Put a Stop to Serial Sloppers
Unless slopfarms are stopped, people will read and share Microsoft propaganda made by chatbots
Gemini Links 27/08/2025: Headphones and Tartarus
Links for the day
Morale at Microsoft is Terrible (Proprietary Plagiarism Machines Have No Future, LLM Slop is a Bubble)
The slop sceptics/critics are going to have lots of "told you so" moments
GNOME "governance issues, staff reduction, etc." amidst Albanian whistleblowing and women trafficking
Notice the connection to Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) and GNOME
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 26, 2025