Microsoft permanently barred from selling Word

I wouldn't expect anything less from a company that got it's start from stealing MS DOS. We must never forget that!

In theory, patents are filed to protect the intellectual property of the 'inventor'. In practice, its to ensure that if used, the inventor can be compensated for his invention. i4i may well have the intellectual property rights to embedded format codes.

But I doubt i4i would want the elimination of this feature from all commercial software. Its value would be severely reduced to products developed by i4i. I doubt that i4i would be able to build and market a word processor that is on a par with word, can achieve the market penetration, and not violate anyone else's intellectual property (including M$!).

No, i4i will be looking for some sort of royalty payment, which they hope to get rich on (on the back of M$Word). So in the next 60 days, I guess we'll be (not) seeing some back office haggling, and a settlement with some kind of licencing agreement.

Now, if i4i invented something, they are entitled to something. But for a judge to say to M$ must stop selling Word is plain stupid (IMHO).

Don't forget that Windows itself was also a direct ripoff of Apple's OS back in 1990.

Yeah actually I did read it, and if you do a search "microsoft word" you'll find lots of articles that pretty much say the same thing. The only thing the media really does it take a small story and turn it into a huge 'disaster like' situation. Face it, Microsoft is too big, all they'll get is a 'slap on the wrist' (if that) and everything is back to normal the next day.

This is the company that will come after user who have a illegal copy of there OS and make it impossible to use there software with out paying outrageous cost for it? Now they have been caught stealing software and not only using it but make a profit from what they ripoff. I wonder what they would do if it was there software that was taken and used to make a profit?

Don't get me wrong, it is absolutely news worthy, and it's also very interesting. Only, in my opinion, the media exagerates, as they always do...

Can any of you anti-piracy supporters explain to me how this is any different than Illegal downloading? No one wants to hear Microsofts lame excuses for doing it. Stealing is stealing..isnt that what you guys say? They should get fines that are proportional to those handed down to Jamie Thomas.100 billion dollars for each infraction should be fair. Hmm..if I remember correctly, Miss Thomas was also court ordered not to use P2P anymore. So I guess the next logical step would not allow Microsoft to develop anymore software and sell it.

Also please explain how these laughable court judgements are a deterrant for Microsoft not to steal other people's work. They have been fined over and over again and yet still do it.

Well clearly Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot somewhere?

Interesting

Right before schools go back into session... this could be fun to watch. Especially when Microsoft counter-sues and claims losses because people can't find the legitimate Office and pirate it instead. Don't act like this is going to get people to switch to OpenOffice, there are morons convinced they NEED Microsoft Office to open XML laced files and will just download it to get work done.

Its funny, Microsoft doesn't even need to bend anyone's opinion, users just assume then blame Microsoft later for the fact they were clueless.

Well, upon reading the article and various others it seems as though Microsoft will win this one.

The patent in 1998 by the company is rather generic and Microsoft themselves issued another patent recently with using XML in word processing.

Shall be interesting

Well OK, let's just take it as a given that Word 2007 is a good product.

There aren't enough legal pitfalls that could happen to M$ to garner one iota of my sympathy.

These are the same creepy *** freaks that brought us "WGA" (That's legal malware) , and product activation. So, I say if it can be proved that M$ is ripping off the intellectual property, then fine them until blood runs down Bill Gates' legs.

You live by the sword, you die by the sword. That's the way they say it should be.

Now, there certainly are frivolous lawsuits being filed with respect to patent infringment, and intellectual property rights. But guess what, thank God the courts still get to decide which are valid and which are not, and not the Microsoft Corporation.

Here here! I'm right there with you. I would like to see companies patent code to prohibit reverse engineering. (Assuming that they didn't first steal the code from Open Source/GPL projects!) It takes a lot of time and research to hit the mark in software. But I don't think that they should be allowed to patent ideas like this. And I definitely don't think that their patent should be so vague that just by opening a file you're infringing their patent. The US PTO needs to be closed, revamped, and brought back leaner without this BS.

And dont forget that this technology Apple stole fron Xerox.

Everything is a rip off of something. Things build on each other. Certainly technologies and ideas become patterns - become standards. I'm all for GPL v3 and forgetting the idea of patents altogether - and I am someone working on my own software who might well wind up having a good, and hence rip-off-able, idea.

Spring is a rip off of J2ee. The PC was a rip off of of the Mac and the BBC Master Compact. Progress comes about because someone has an idea, goes with it, takes it as far as they can, and then someone else comes along and builds on that.

That is easy for ms. Build new Word without xml support or create patch to remove xml from word 2003 & 2007.

People still buy word processors? Really? No, Really?

Seems pretty silly to still need one to me.

I use a freeware Notepad replacement and hardly even need that, I currently don't even own a printer.

As for M$, duh....

Sorry, not true. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were both invited to Xerox PARC and shown the R&D work. Only Jobs saw the import of the work and created the Lisa machine. When the follow-on product was made available, Gates had to run to catch-up.

Neither company STOLE anything!

IMO, this thread has gone way off topic! Would some moderator lock this please?