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Linus Torvalds rains on Microsoft’s patent parade
Slash Gear ^ | March 30th | Shane McGlaun

Posted on 03/30/2012 6:55:59 PM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing

Apparently, Torvalds stepped into the arena and helped convince an ITC Administrative LAW Judge named Theodore R. Essex that Microsoft’s patent in question was invalid. The same judge who determined that Motorola had violated four Microsoft patents, including one known simply as the 352 patent. That particular patent has to do with storing filenames with a lot of characters in old file systems like Windows FAT.

Torvalds told the judge that Motorola had found the posting he had made about long filenames used in a compatible manner with short filenames, and that post predated the Microsoft patent by three years. Torvalds made a video deposition with Microsoft lawyers who tried to cast doubt on the newsgroup postings Motorola and Torvalds said was used rather than the 352 patent. If that patent were ruled to be invalid, Microsoft would lose some of the licensing fees it has been choking out of competitors. We are watching this one with popcorn in hand.

(Excerpt) Read more at slashgear.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: linus; linustorvalds; linux; microsoft; patent; patents; torvalds
Here's more on the story:

How Linus Torvalds Helped Bust a Microsoft Patent

1 posted on 03/30/2012 6:56:03 PM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing
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To: Halfmanhalfamazing

there’s a cult leader for every preference!


2 posted on 03/30/2012 6:59:13 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand
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To: the invisib1e hand

Nah. Linux/OSS cultists follow Stallman. In the linux world, when people talk about ‘cooler heads’ prevailing........ that’s Torvalds.


3 posted on 03/30/2012 7:01:21 PM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing ( Media doesn't report, It advertises. So that last advertisement you just read, what was it worth?)
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To: Halfmanhalfamazing

noted.


4 posted on 03/30/2012 7:02:50 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand
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To: Halfmanhalfamazing
If that patent were ruled to be invalid, Microsoft would lose some of the licensing fees it has been choking out of competitors. We are watching this one with popcorn in hand.

I'm not necessarily a fan (not an obsessive one, anyway) of msft. I am, however, quite committed to the idea of protection of intellectual property rights.

If Torvalds prevails, and collects a settlement from microsoft (which he probably will one way or another), will the trade press run an\ correction stating that "Microsoft has been choking [licensing fees] out of it's competitors on behalf of Linus Torvalds"?

5 posted on 03/30/2012 7:06:32 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand
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To: Halfmanhalfamazing

Bump!


6 posted on 03/30/2012 7:07:10 PM PDT by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
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To: the invisib1e hand

That’s an interesting way of looking at it.

I don’t think we’ll see headlines along those lines though. :-)


7 posted on 03/30/2012 7:09:41 PM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing ( Media doesn't report, It advertises. So that last advertisement you just read, what was it worth?)
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To: the invisib1e hand
If Torvalds prevails, and collects a settlement from microsoft

Sounds like Torvalds has already prevailed. He will not collect a settlement from Microsoft, but he has made a good point.

8 posted on 03/30/2012 7:13:03 PM PDT by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
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To: the invisib1e hand
will the trade press run an\ correction stating that “Microsoft has been choking [licensing fees] out of it's competitors on behalf of Linus Torvalds”?

I would think that since Linux was released as open source that there is a good chance that Microsoft will be refunding the fees that they collected and nothing will go to Linus.

9 posted on 03/30/2012 7:16:35 PM PDT by fireman15 (Check your facts before making ignorant statements.)
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To: Halfmanhalfamazing

The cool head who would be appreciated at FR would be Eric Raymond. He is the author of “The Cathedral and the Bazaar”. Eric is the nemesis of Stallman since he honors intellectual property and believes in a free market.

I heard Eric speak at a Java users group in Scottsdale, Arizona about 10 years ago. His background is anthropology and he is a very interesting speaker.

Wikipedia has an article summarizing “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” with a link at the bottom to the full essay:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cathedral_and_the_Bazaar


10 posted on 03/30/2012 7:50:51 PM PDT by the_Watchman
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