NTK now, 2004-11-12 (fwd)

[jm@jmason.org]

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A very worrying snippet from this week's NTKnow (http://www.ntk.net/):

>                                >> HARD NEWS <<
>                                spelled "L-Z-Ws" 
> 
>           Last year, Microsoft had 4,000 patents in total. This year,
>           they applied for another 3,000. They are now planning at
>           least twenty IP cross-licensing deals with other large
>           corporations, and have made it clear that they are seeking
>           similiar alliances with even their worst enemies. This
>           April, they quietly offered a "Royalty Free Protocol License
>           Agreement" on their site. It generously allows the license
>           of "any intellectual property rights Microsoft may have in
>           any or all of [the following] protocols". The 130 protocols
>           listed included Appletalk, most of TCP/IP - and everything
>           else, from DNS to Zmodem, from DHCP to the port 9 discard
>           service (whose sole function is to drop packets). Signing
>           this license frees developers from being sued for IP
>           infringements by Microsoft, but prevents you from working on
>           GPL software (Samba already warns its contributors not to
>           sign it). This week, Microsoft indemnified all their
>           customers from the legal fallout of any court cases
>           revolving around their IP. Which implies there is either
>           about to be such a battle: or at least Microsoft wants
>           everyone to think there'll be one. Put this week in your
>           diaries, ladies and gentlemen of the Internet: you don't
>           need Yoda to tell you that the Patent Wars have begun.
>           http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story 041107154122603
>                                 - pat groklaw says all you need to know
>           http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/phonywar.htm
>                                            - or the phony war, at least

- --j.
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