Sun Responds to Microsoft’s Patent Claims

Microsoft is targeting Sun Microsystems for patent violations in its open-source software, claiming OpenOffice.org breaches 45 of its patents. Sun wasted no time in responding to the claims coming out of Redmond.”You would be wise to listen to the customers you’re threatening to sue — they can leave you, especially if you give them motivation,” Sun’s President and CEO Jonathan Schwartz wrote in his blog. “Remember, they wouldn’t be motivated unless your products were somehow missing the mark.” The open-source community, he added, is vastly more innovative and powerful than a single company.

Could the intent of Redmond’s callout be to broker licensing deals with free software developers? Or is the software giant bound to sue any infringing party it can find with deep enough pockets to make a court battle worth its while? Few analysts believe that Microsoft actually will file suit, but the company doesn’t seem to be planning to let alleged infringers have a free ride, either.

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Add comment May 16th, 2007

Concentration Key to Sucess

“Concentrate all your thoughts on the task as hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” — Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor

Add comment May 16th, 2007

Novell Sides with Open Source in Microsoft Dispute

The tech world is ablaze with speculation over what Microsoft plans to do in the wake of its public claim that open-source software infringes on more than 200 of its patents.In a public relations strategy that tapped Fortune magazine as a platform to share Microsoft’s views with the world, Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith claimed Linux and other open-source software applications violate 235 of the company’s patents. What Smith did not reveal, however, is what Microsoft plans to do about it.

Repeated phone calls and e-mails to the Free Software Foundation and The Linux Foundation have gone unanswered. However, there are plenty of other opinions from both sides of the software table.

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Add comment May 16th, 2007