Appeals court ponders Microsoft patent case

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Yes and no

I agree that software probably should be covered by copyright instead of patent law, but I disagree with the statement

"This whole patent foolishness is just a blind on the part of the big companies to crush the little-guy "upstarts" with their dynamic new ideas and drive to succeed."

I think if you look at it, very few 'big' companies have wielded patents as a weapon against competition. More often, it's the 'small' guys (think Eolas) who use patents to go after the big guys. Large corporations use their patent portfolios as negotiating tools. I'm not aware of IBM or Microsoft suing any small competitors over patent issues, but I'm aware of many small companies whose only business is owning one or more patents suing the 'big' guys.

Carl Rapson

Posted by: rapson   Posted on: 12/10/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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