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Not at all.
The tatic seems to be that if you have a large patent portfolio, you can negotiate with other companies with similarly large portfolios to cross-licence your patents.

It's all about the big end of town being able to use each other's technology. In no way does MS registering a patent protect them from companies like Eolas. In Microsoft's defence, I don't remember them ever pursuing anyone over patents. Copyright, yes; but patent, no.

And can we clear up the use of the word "proprietary"? It just means owned by someone. Linux is proprietary - it is owned by the authors of the code under copyright. Those authors allow you to use it under the GPL or whatever licence you get your Linux distro under. But they still own the code, they just don't charge for you to use it under the licence.

Everything you create is yours under copyright and therefore proprietary unless you expressly choose to giveup ownership.

You think if an OSS developer found that some code they wrote was at the heart of, say, MediaPlayer, they wouldn't go after MS for all they could get? They could only do that because they own the code, it is proprietary. A more accurate description of MS's code is closed, the opposite of open.
Posted by: Fred Fredrickson   Posted on: 02/03/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Too bad they can't balance their greed with their software quality!!  Bobby Sskcat | 02/03/04
Not the Whole World!  ShadeTree | 02/03/04
No, 95% of users laugh at him.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/03/04
Ummm Bit..we ALL know that you are both No_Ax and Shadetree...so..  Bobby Sskcat | 02/03/04
How can one so small be so wrong?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/03/04
Most of us don't really care that you are so small and so wrong!  B.O.F.H. | 02/03/04
Thanks for caring and responding.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/03/04
Typical Bit == Typical Axe...  John Le'Brecage | 02/03/04
Sorry, didn't mean to submit that yet...  John Le'Brecage | 02/03/04
Typical Bit == Typical Axe...  John Le'Brecage | 02/03/04
Where???  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/03/04
Time to leave, grasshopper.  zd-spam | 02/03/04
Ah, another that can't face the facts.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/03/04
Since Zdnet loimits thread length. Here are your answers Axe.  John Le'Brecage | 02/03/04
Not Bit again!  ShadeTree | 02/04/04
Now you know...  BitTwiddler | 02/03/04
Uncaring  Bill4 | 02/03/04
Now don't go trampling egos, ShadeTree  IT_User | 02/03/04
So very true.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/03/04
could care less?  dlevesqu | 02/04/04
The whole world? You're living in fantasy land.  marksashton | 02/03/04
The plane boss, the plaaane!  Spoon Jabber | 02/03/04
Well, at least betwen the two of you...  IT_User | 02/03/04
Most of the world does know  StorageGuru | 02/03/04
No, Linux is not "doomed" on the desktop  IT_User | 02/03/04
But that's exactly how Microsoft marketed it's software  voska | 02/04/04
It's always a balance...  John L. Ries | 02/03/04
Or maybe..  vdraken | 02/03/04
Not at all.  Fred Fredrickson | 02/03/04
Quibble  IT_User | 02/03/04
Fair Quibble, but...  Fred Fredrickson | 02/03/04
One more adjustment  IT_User | 02/03/04
Well Fred, I stand corrected  IT_User | 02/04/04
Possibly  John L. Ries | 02/04/04
Huh?  rapson | 02/03/04
Don't jump too fast now..  Bobby Sskcat | 02/03/04
These are my own posts  rapson | 02/03/04
What's a business to some...  IT_User | 02/03/04
Re: Huh  John L. Ries | 02/04/04
MS learned a lesson.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/03/04
You can patent to your heart's content but...  Bobby Sskcat | 02/03/04
95% of the world agrees.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/03/04
But how many of those 95%...  Michael Kelly | 02/03/04
Yeah, it is a new ballgame  IT_User | 02/03/04
I didn't think longhorn was out yet?  voska | 02/04/04
They still have much to learn then  Fred Fredrickson | 02/03/04
They really only need one...  BitTwiddler | 02/03/04
Electronic Solitare..  vdraken | 02/03/04
Electronic Solitare..  vdraken | 02/03/04
Chemical Patents  Bill4 | 02/03/04
The 05 budget as submitted  IT_User | 02/03/04
MS SQL works for me  Christian_<>< | 02/03/04
good job  JWatson77 | 02/03/04
Wake me up when Microsoft invents something.  Xunil_Sierutuf | 02/03/04
saving in xml a invention - come on (NT)  JWatson77 | 02/03/04
I'll admit that has me a bit worried  IT_User | 02/03/04
Follow IBM's example  FilledOut | 02/03/04

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