Microsoft's Patent Quest Will Die
Poster: Aron Schatz
Posted on May 16, 2007 at 2:09:06 PM
Experts say that Microsoft's FUD will go nowhere. In this age, we should not be concerning ourselves with software patents that do nothing except to stifle innovation.
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In general, searching for potential software patent violations isn't practical, given the number, breadth and opacity of patents in the United States. Not only that, but it's at odds with Microsoft's own policy to wait for patent holders to get in touch with it if they think there's infringement. In fact, searching for potential patent problems can actually leave a company financially exposed: if a lawsuit concludes a patent was infringed, a company or individual that knew about the potential infringement must pay triple the financial damages compared with an unknowing infringement.