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In fact it cuts out commercial developers too...
Bit, Axe, or whomever you are today,

The actual license text has been pulled by Microsoft, so I may be shown to be incorrect, but the head page for the licensing says, "You are not licensed to sublicense or transfer your rights."

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/ip/format/xmlpatentlicense.asp

That statement taken at only face value means that not only can the GPL not use the patents, because of Section 7, but neither can any open source license. Moreover, you cannot create and distribute a program for free or pay, which uses this because anyone receiving the program doesn't have a license to the schema. You can't transfer a license to them to use the technology! They must go download a copy of the schema in order to legally use your closed source commercial program!

Now, there may be a prominent exception to this in the legal document at:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/odcXMLRef/html/odcXMLRefLegalNotice.asp?frame=true

but since this currently 404's; we're not able to see it. Until we can, we must assume it not present.

Chew on that until Microsft says otherwise. As currently constituted you are prevented from using the schema for other than internal projects (ie. Not distributed).
Posted by: John Le'Brecage   Posted on: 11/17/03 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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All that whining for nothing.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Not really...  Patrick Jones | 11/17/03
Did you read any of it?  mikecel | 11/17/03
Yep..  Patrick Jones | 11/17/03
A second reading might be in order ...  Still Lynn | 11/18/03
Royalty-free licensing is common  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 11/18/03
Read the first paragraph again.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Most Zealotic Post of the Forum  nucrash | 11/17/03
So..  d_jedi | 11/17/03
Good on ya!  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
But unlike industry standards controlled by industry committees, Microsoft  Update victim | 11/17/03
will dictate the development of the Office schema  Update victim | 11/17/03
Very Valid Whining  nucrash | 11/17/03
Lock-In  tic swayback | 11/17/03
Apple  pschroeder@... | 11/17/03
Here you go. Have fun.  Yen_z | 11/17/03
"Based on"  pschroeder@... | 11/17/03
Nice try, Don  Yagotta B. Kidding | 11/17/03
GPL incompatible  Ardian Daka | 11/17/03
You are right, Microsoft doesn't do GPL.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
In fact it cuts out commercial developers too...  John Le'Brecage | 11/17/03
Not when you buy a license.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Don't be disingenuous....  John Le'Brecage | 11/17/03
Here is the license  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Umm... Sam... about that link.  John Le'Brecage | 11/17/03
Sorry - ZDNet won't let me reply directly to you  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
i don't get it..  ryusen | 11/17/03
Yes, you got it.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
You are missing...  neil ubich | 11/17/03
Yes... and?  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
but  ryusen | 11/17/03
License  pschroeder@... | 11/18/03
Um, this is not a complete...  BitTwiddler | 11/17/03
To answer you.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Are you unfamiliar with MS Office?  B.O.F.H. | 11/17/03
Can lock users NOT system  michael-t | 11/17/03
Congratulations - you win the prize  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Dismal  michael-t | 11/17/03
And this is all relevant to XML because...?  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Yes, but  tic swayback | 11/17/03
My wife might take umbrage at that remark wink  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Still lock-in, or at least lock-out!  John Le'Brecage | 11/17/03
OO a competitive threat?  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Quoth from Microsoft...  John Le'Brecage | 11/17/03
Finally someone with a sense of humour happy  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Document assembly  KTLA | 11/17/03
So what did they say?  Cardinal_Bill | 11/17/03
I missed your point.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
OK...try this then.  Cardinal_Bill | 11/17/03
I only see one group that can't use it.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Says who?  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Oh I agree,  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Lawyers - gotta love 'em happy  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Too easily confused a bit can be  nucrash | 11/17/03
Yes, confused you are...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Oooh- keep smokine that stuff...  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Stop confusing him with truth and facts!  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
no kidding  lmaxwell | 11/18/03
FUD, FUD, FUD, FUD  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
More info  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Links.  Cardinal_Bill | 11/17/03
What's so hard to understand?  d_jedi | 11/17/03
Does it?  Cardinal_Bill | 11/17/03
It is there - just a bit confusing  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Explanation  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Sam, you can't show those that refuse to see.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Oh, we know and we see...  John Le'Brecage | 11/17/03
It's the ol' time religion...  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
John, you have me all wrong.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
How about partisan politics?  John L. Ries | 11/17/03
So whats new about this?  Nigel Johnstone | 11/17/03
I missed your point.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Nothing New - Same Old MS  KeithRisler | 11/17/03
XML...  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Non-Issues cont'd  michael-t | 11/17/03
Office 98?  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Buwahahahaha, good one!  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
There is a version for the PC  voska | 11/17/03
One would think that...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Depends if he is MAC user  voska | 11/18/03
Don't Panic  michael-t | 11/17/03
Chances are...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Classics  michael-t | 11/17/03
Only if I sent them to you.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Alas - that's the problem...  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Oooh - teach me more master...  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
ROFLMAO  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Remarkable Information  michael-t | 11/17/03
Where do you want to start?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Non-Answer (cont'd)  michael-t | 11/17/03
depends what you call useful or not  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Why this scares open source people.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
If they do  neil ubich | 11/17/03
You seem to be lost.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
I want to complain  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
RE: Why this scares open source people.  Iain_Peters | 11/17/03
You are right...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
MS only did this to "force" upgrading..  MeadMkr | 11/18/03
Put Up or Shut Up?  gary_edwards | 11/18/03
But Once is Not Enough  KeithRisler | 11/17/03
Name even one.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Then don't use it...  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
But, but what will they have to whine about then.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
Nope - that IS the license  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
Is it going to be completely open?  Iain_Peters | 11/17/03
Name one for profit company doing it.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 11/17/03
SUN with StarOffice  Iain_Peters | 11/17/03
Really?  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03
What would they "whine" about?  Iain_Peters | 11/17/03
License link is NOW LIVE  Sam_Lowry | 11/17/03

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