Has Microsoft been trying to retroactively claim IP (intellectual property) rights over many of the Internet’s basic protocols? Larry J. Blunk, senior engineer for networking research and development at Merit Network Inc., believes that might be the case.
Is Microsoft Ready to Assert IP Rights over the Internet?
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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[joke]M$ claims IP rights over hot water.[/joke]
It’s not like that
Published Protocols And Royalty-Free License FAQ
Q. When I sign a royalty-free agreement for these protocols, what am I licensing?
A. The list of protocols under this license includes protocols for which documentation has been published, and that Microsoft has implemented in Windows client operating systems to interoperate with Windows server operating systems (up to and including Windows Server 2003). However, just because a protocol appears on the list does not mean that Microsoft is the owner or sole owner of rights in that protocol or its documentation. What the royalty-free license does is ensure that a license is available from Microsoft under whatever rights it may have in the published documentation and/or protocols on the list.
For instance, they claim 4 extensions to TCP/IP. You could license these protocols somewhere else, not with M$ only.
The eWeek Hype Machine is grinding hard. Read The . Licensing Terms. Can we please stop just cross-posting Slashdot news? They embarass themselves enough as it is.
This whole story is recycled and overblown hype of a story that isn’t a story. It wasn’t worth the read on Slashdot and others two days ago, and nothing has changed since that time.
Al Gore invented the internet, i am sure he owns the patents on it. Unless he is ready to sell to Microsoft?
This whole story is recycled and overblown hype of a story that isn’t a story.
Hehe, love this line.
People love bashing Microsoft even if they don’t have a clue at what they’re bashing… I’m still waiting on a local site to publish this to have a laugh at the comments.
“People love bashing Microsoft even if they don’t have a clue at what they’re bashing… I’m still waiting on a local site to publish this to have a laugh at the comments.”
Yeah funny isn’t it, they do the samething with OS X, Apple and the G5………funny…
Well, the fact that its Microsoft automatically brings in the double standards against them. Any other company would be ok, but heaven forbid that Microsoft does something like this.
1st they claim IP Over OpenGL
Then over the Internet
Next – over Linux
Well, typically MS and Apple deserve it.
e.g. MS claims to be innovative, but when is the first time that you saw MS produce a truly new technology that they didn’t a) copy, or b) purchase? (At least their paid upgrades are many years apart and can be had for dirt cheap if you look around and don’t do something stupid like being the first on the block to have the upgrade.)
Apple deserves it for their annual fee for OS updates, which makes me a big Carbon API supporter over Cocoa API now. Not to mention Carbon will still run on the many many many macs still running 8.6-9. (Or just run linux, as either you can d/l an entirely new version of a distro or run your own manual upgrade of pretty much everything relatively easily and at your own pace.)
“Well, the fact that its Microsoft automatically brings in the double standards against them. Any other company would be ok, but heaven forbid that Microsoft does something like this.”
What is it with you people feeling sorry for Microsoft? It’s not enough they’re one of the richest corporations in the world and run by one of the richest men in the world? How wealthy do they have to be, and how much marketshare and in which markets before you no longer feel like they’re the little kid getting picked on by bullies.
…it is good to re-hash debunked news and have it re-debunked just for the sake of those who may not know better.
; )