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Yes, EVERYONE has the right to use it freely...
... as long as any redistribution of the code is likewise GPLed.

Remember, it is this condition of redistribution that MS fears most. And that is my point. If a patent can be used, but only so long as its code is GPLed, then MS would not be able to use whatever is covered by that patent.

Use all the name calling you want, but the open source community isn't just the voluntary "out of work" programmers sitting in their basements, it's also IBM, Novell, Red Hat, Sun, SuSE, and many other companies. So if all the OSS community uses their resources and takes the proactive approach to patents things that may be useful or needed by both MSand themselves, then they have a nice bargaining chip to use against MS. We KNOW that GPLing (is that a word?) Longhorn is out of the question, so if MS wants to use those patents, they'd have to offer something of theirs. Like one of THEIR patents.
Posted by: Michael Kelly   Posted on: 02/13/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Patents are a MESS  CobraA1 | 02/12/04
Another way of putting it  IT_User | 02/12/04
Did you just arrive from another planet?  km4hr@... | 02/12/04
MS has used  michael-t | 02/12/04
They DID learn a new trick, PATENTS!  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
Must not have been around long  zd-spam | 02/12/04
Squash all competition? No, just open source.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
Trust them - LOL  Update victim | 02/13/04
Now that everybody has weighed in...  IT_User | 02/13/04
i plan to patent  JWatson77 | 02/12/04
Let see  michael-t | 02/12/04
Hold on a minute!  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
maybe  ryusen | 02/12/04
It is strange that  michael-t | 02/12/04
what...patents arent important  jimk_z | 02/12/04
How can you patent the already obsolete?  jorwell | 02/13/04
Huh? Their schema isn't obsolete.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
No it is XML that is already obsolete  jorwell | 02/13/04
You really need to look at Longhorn.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
I hope so...  jorwell | 02/14/04
One thing you can count on...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
I know what to do. Not like this isn't done all the time anyway...  Michael Kelly | 02/13/04
How do you license GPL'ed code?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
Yes, EVERYONE has the right to use it freely...  Michael Kelly | 02/13/04
And that's why it won't happen.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
How?  Update victim | 02/13/04
Don't see how that would work at all.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
Open source is currently...  IT_User | 02/13/04
On a level playing field that might happen.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04
Large or small corporations  IT_User | 02/13/04
XML and OTHER LANGUAGES  Update victim | 02/13/04
Like it or not, the patent was granted.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 02/13/04

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