AS we noted in the previous post, EU Parliament needs to make it very clear that software patents granted in Europe are not legal. The European Patent Office (EPO) pretends not to understand that and it terrorises its boards into acceptance, in effect nodding to this abuse. Similar things happen at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in order to ignore 35 U.S.C. ۤ 101.
"Microsoft continues to attack GNU/Linux, albeit usually by proxy. Somehow we're supposed to ignore this?"The profound damage caused by these patents isn't just prospective; there's already evidence of it at present. Days ago GNU/Linux came under attack from Microsoft-connected trolls (CCIA responded to this last night, citing it as a good case against Coons' 'reform' and for Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) inter partes reviews (IPRs)). We've already covered several similar cases in the past -- cases where European Free software developers came under fire from trolls; the outcome was, typically, removal from the Net (code taken offline).
Hardly to our surprise, increasingly corrupt (it takes bribes) corporate media will not bother pointing out the Microsoft link to this troll; it won't quit parroting lies such as "Microsoft loves Linux"; just remember where the troll got patents from. Also remember the slimy tactics from Microsoft, which the Microsoft-funded SCO lawsuit helped highlight. These tactics extend to and include hiring (bribing) scholars for them to attack Google/Android without any disclosure of these payments. They tell us they "love Linux" (like BP loves solar power) and here's a new report of interest:
The Texas attorney general’s office has hired three consultants for a multi-state probe it is leading into Alphabet Inc’s Google, including an economist who worked with some of the firm’s major rivals and a lawyer who is a Microsoft veteran.