[NEWS]M$ ripped off critical component of the IE codebase

[Super Nade]

Check this out:-

The US Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Microsoft, refusing to hear the software company's request that its liability in a patent-infringement case be limited to domestic sales of its web browser.

A jury in 2003 ordered Microsoft to pay $US521 million ($A792 million) for infringing US patents held by Eolas Technologies and the University of California on code that enables a variety of software applications to work seamlessly with web browsers.

An appeals court reversed parts of that decision earlier this year, sending it back to district court.

Microsoft, however, appealed to the Supreme Court for a ruling on whether the appeals court was correct in basing the award on worldwide sales rather than domestic sales. The company argued that basing the award on worldwide sales is an expansion of the scope of US patents.

Eolas' founder, cellular biologist Michael Doyle, says he invented the technology while working at the University of California more than a decade ago and then watched Microsoft capitalise on it by including the features in its Internet Explorer browser.

Microsoft contends the Eolas patent is invalid because the technology had already been developed and showcased in a May 1993 demonstration by another inventor, Pei-Yuan Wei.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking/ie-patent-appeal-rejected/2005/11/01/1130720498237.html

 

[MRD]

I saw that. Looks like M$ owes $500 million to some professor. Someone's popping open the champagne!

Glad to see M$ getting sued for $500 million. That's hurts, even for M$.

 

[deathman20]

$500million isn't nothing to microsoft, expecially considering they seem to pay billions in lawsuits all the time.

Now to us peons thats a lot of money Its better then the lotto, and probley better odds of winning hehe.

 

[Rattle]

They'll just make us saps pay $25 more for each OS we buy anyway

 

[squasher]

Its funny microsuck has 800 people working on ie, and it sucks. 12(or so, but i might be wrong) people work on firefox...lol

 

[Flip-Mode]

They'll just make us saps pay $25 more for each OS we buy anyway

Exactly what I was going to post

The problem is that they got 800 people working on single program so some 20 year old who wants to be Bill rips a piece of code and no one knows
Left had doesn't know what the right one is doing...

 

[tom10167]

They'll just make us saps pay $25 more for each OS we buy anyway

Microsoft just can't win with the "enthusiast" can they?

-Microsoft got sued, good, they are a crappy company.
-Yeah, they're probably just going to jack up prices on the software I'll undoubtedly buy and undoubtedly complain about.
-No kidding, Microsoft sucks, damn price hikes.


Damn kids complaining about everything because it's trendy but not using alternatives which are free.

 

[MRD]

<--- Using the free alternative

 

[speed bump]

Oh well doesn't make me not like them anymore or any less. Good thing that Prof gets alot of money though I hate it how any non engineering professor I talk tells me about not making enough money so maybe this guys students will be happier.(BTW engineering professors just tell me about the crazy stuff they wan't to build and play with ussually that and I need to learn calculas.)

 

[Super Nade]

Microsoft just can't win with the "enthusiast" can they?

-Microsoft got sued, good, they are a crappy company.
-Yeah, they're probably just going to jack up prices on the software I'll undoubtedly buy and undoubtedly complain about.
-No kidding, Microsoft sucks, damn price hikes.


Damn kids complaining about everything because it's trendy but not using alternatives which are free.

<----Using alternative as well.

Some people are uncomfortable with the *nix OS. That doesn't mean they have no right to complain. Who are you to decide who should complain or not? Looks like it is becoming fashionable to bait people with genuine issues against M$.


Majority of the software is written for Windows, people bound to ancillary software are bound to windows. The only reason I use Windows is because my games run on it. This is not a trend, but a legitimate issue. Would you care to discuss SP2a, the overpriced nature of Windows, DRM and the zillion bugs that abound in XP. Would you care to discuss irresposible M$ who have left several critical vulnerabilities unpatched for months ?

I don't believe bitching constantly would improve anything, but, if you wish to gag people, please take your sarcasm elsewhere.

Thank you and have a nice day.

S-N

 

[tom10167]

You can't call something that everyone is willing to buy overpriced, basic economics tell us that if everyone is buying it, it's NOT overpriced, there are alternatives, people just don't want to use them.

Does anyone know specifically what Eolas created? I went to their website but it was kind of ......confusing. I learned that the created that E in a circle though.

 

[Ebola]

Its MS so everyone assumes guilty until proven innocent. If this guys patent is legally standing he deserves some compensation but I don't think this professor and his team of lawyers deserve $500 million. He didn't seem to try to defend his patent when, Pei-Yuan Wei gave his presentation or even when the alleged infringement by MS occured.

$500 million dollars is a lot for any company. I think this is in extreme excess for a sketchy claim on a software patent. Just wait till Creative gets Apple in court over their new patent on the MP3 player. I'm sure everyone won't be rushing to support creative.

 

[MRD]

M$ was tried in a court of law and after all the evidence was presented, they were found guilty. It was pretty clearly a patent violation. Personally, I think the fine should have been bigger. M$ is the first to use the legal system to destroy competitors. Because M$ has so much money, they are often above the law... it's nice to see them pay the price for their predatory business practices.

 

[Super Nade]

You can't call something that everyone is willing to buy overpriced, basic economics tell us that if everyone is buying it, it's NOT overpriced, there are alternatives, people just don't want to use them.

What other options do people have? The average mom and dad kind of folks have not been exposed to Linux, simply because most pre-built PC's come with Windows. Almost everybody has a pre-built PC, be it Dell or HP or anything else.

Microsoft, through smart (and often shady) business practices have maintained a stranglehold on the PC market. A viable alternative should have the marketing muscle to take on MS. That is why you see other good OS'es like BeOS fall by the wayside. One cannot simply walk into Mordor and take on Sauron.

$200 in my book (a low income person) is quite a bit of money. So your argument that "if everybody buys it..it isn't overpriced" isn't accounting for the facts regarding pre-built PC's.

Did you know that the moment a corporation or a government body decide to go open source, MS fights them tooth and nail, offering incentives and the initial software package for cheap, whilst ripping them off for upgrades?

Regarding this particular patent infringement claim, since the specifics are not available to us, it is hard to pass summary judgement. However, given Microsoft's track record of similar violations and their notoriety in stifling competition, this seems to be a legitimate matter that needs to be investigated, not a witch hunt.

 

[tom10167]

What other options do people have? The average mom and dad kind of folks have not been exposed to Linux, simply because most pre-built PC's come with Windows. Almost everybody has a pre-built PC, be it Dell or HP or anything else.

Nobody makes anyone buy a pre-built, and anyone that buys a prebuilt CAN afford it, so anyone that buys a prebuilt can afford Win.

Second, there are Apple computers, which are more expensive than comparable X86 computers, which actually makes Windows competitevly priced(for, as you said, most people are buying prebuilt computers)


OS X Tiger - $130

XP Pro - $140.


The reason people are buying pre-builts is because, in essence, they are too lazy to learn *Nix, and decide that ~$150 is worth it for a familiar operating system. There's no stranglehold if you're willing to learn, people aren't willing to learn, so they pay, that's how it is for every good or service in America.

Do it yourself, cheap, have it done, costs money.


What would you say is a fair price for the billions of code, 24 hour online support and updated online patches called Windows?

Maybe ten dollars off to keep it fair with Tiger?