Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 16th May 2007 09:42 UTC, submitted by FreeRhino
Microsoft has said it will not sue Linux users with regards to the company's patent claims. "We're not litigating. If we wanted to we would have done so years ago," said Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's VP for intellectual property and licensing, in an interview. When asked for a reply regarding the claim of Microsoft that the Linux kernel infringes 42 of its patents, Linus Torvalds replied: "Can you get a list of which ones? Before that, it's just FUD, and there's not a whole lot I can say or do. Is there prior art? Are they trivial and obvious to one skilled in the art? Would we need to work around them? We don't know, because all I've heard so far is just FUD. If MS actually wanted us to not infringe their patents, they'd tell us. Since they don't, that must mean that they actually prefer the FUD."
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Member since:
2005-12-15
It's very difficult for any of us to make the assessment that there's no basis to Microsoft's claims. It's very easy and premature for many of us to just stamp our feet and cry "FUD" at the top of our lungs. We don't have the information to do this.
The reality as I see it, is to watch this space. It'd be a rather blinded perspective to expect Microsoft to do nothing about the infringments they believe exist. Microsoft always has reasons for their actions, and this is no different.
It's also rather rediculous to cast Fortune magazine, of all forms of publications that exist, as so silly to just fall for something, as though they are so daft.
Microsoft is up to something, without any doubt. Litigation is not the only means of achieving a goal.