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Legal Issues

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Oct 28th 2003 11:54am





Developer Plans To Sue Microsoft Customers

from the the-SCO-legal-strategy dept

A developer of Microsoft applications in Australia is claiming that the latest release of Microsoft Office violates patents that he has applied for, and warns that anyone buying the software may be opening themselves up to being sued by him. Of course (as Microsoft points out) the guy hasn't actually received any patents yet, so he might want to wait until it's actually been determined that the "intellectual property" is his. At the same time, Microsoft says there's pretty clear prior art, so they're not worried. Finally, if this really is a patent violation, why threaten to sue the customers instead of focusing on Microsoft?

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    Oliver Wendell Jones, Oct 28th, 2003 @ 12:15pm

    He's read too many SCO press releases?

    why threaten to sue the customers instead of focusing on Microsoft?

    He's read too many SCO press releases? That's the only thing I can think of...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  •  
    identicon
    Lester Burnham, Oct 28th, 2003 @ 1:21pm

    His strategy

    This guy is going for a "shut up and go away" settlement from Microsoft. If he sued MS directly, he would have to commit to a head-to-head legal battle. By threatening to sue their customers, I'm guessing that he is hoping that he will generate so much publicity that it will cut into Microsoft's business. Enough lost business and it will be cheaper for Microsoft to pay him off than to ignore him.

     

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    •  
      identicon
      Mr. Fazookus, Oct 28th, 2003 @ 2:30pm

      Re: His strategy


      Which brings us back to SCO ;-)

      I think Linus said it best (more or less) "SCO is playing the American legal system like a lottery". Maybe it'll work elsewhere.

       

      [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]


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