Microsoft Strikes Linux Patent Deal with LG Electronics
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 8th Jun 2007 15:01 UTC, submitted by AdministratorX
Microsoft In its second such agreement this week, Microsoft has struck a deal under which it will extend amnesty to a company that's using what the software maker claims is patented Microsoft intellectual property embedded in the open source Linux computer operating system. Under a deal with LG Electronics, disclosed late Wednesday, Microsoft will forgo any Linux-related patent claims against the South Korean electronics manufacturer. In return, Microsoft will gain access to certain intellectual property produced by LG.
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RE[2]: Remarkable
by korpenkraxar on Fri 8th Jun 2007 15:46 UTC in reply to "RE: Remarkable"
korpenkraxar
Member since:
2005-09-10

It seems absurd for LG to surrender some of their intellectual property to MS simply because MS make unproven accusations about their patents.

I guess we have to assume that MS has shown them to LG at least.

I had been thinking of making a poll or bet at some site about which additional Linux distributors after Novell and Xandros the community think is most likely to sign similar deals (Linspire? Mandriva? Mepis?), but by now this is turning too unpredictable. What next? Volvo? The Catholic Church? Antarctica? The little smile on babies' faces?

[Edit: minor typo]

Edited 2007-06-08 15:52

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[3]: Remarkable
by ebasconp on Fri 8th Jun 2007 16:09 in reply to "RE[2]: Remarkable"
ebasconp Member since:
2006-05-09

I cannot understand why a company of the size of Microsoft can try to shut up to its competition by that kind of dirty legal ways?

If Microsoft has so many resources, so many brilliant developers and engineers, is it so hard for them fighting against Linux in a technical way instead of using FUD and those Al Capone deals?

If Microsoft thinks the community is infringing several software patents, why they do not make them public before expanding the scare?

Reply Parent Score: 5

RE[4]: Remarkable
by SlackerJack on Fri 8th Jun 2007 20:13 in reply to "RE[3]: Remarkable"
SlackerJack Member since:
2005-11-12

The thing with a company like Microsoft is that they want to keep their monopoly since competition means less money for them as their shareholders.

I think they are afraid of competition since the only way to deal with them is to roller them out of business. I'm pretty sure they know that Linux IS a great OS and if the server market is anything to go by, the desktop market could go the same way.

I think this is another attempt at laying a brick wall in front of the desktop market with a 'Keep Out' sign on it.

Reply Parent Score: 3