Easily digestible tech news... http://www.techdirt.com/ en-us http://www.techdirt.com/images/td-88x31.gifhttp://www.techdirt.com/ Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:22:00 PDT Mike Masnick http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120725/04022819824/microsoft-continues-to-get-companies-to-pay-it-non-microsoft-software.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120725/04022819824/microsoft-continues-to-get-companies-to-pay-it-non-microsoft-software.shtml for Android -- someone else's technology. And, of course, for many years, Microsoft has been running around insisting that Linux infringes on hundreds of its patents, though it gets pretty shy when asked to identify them. Every so often, Microsoft convinces some company to cough up some protection money for being Linux users -- though usually it's for companies selling Linux-based hardware.

Now Microsoft has convinced Amdocs to fork over some cash for running a Linux-based service. While (of course!) details are sparse, Microsoft made sure in the press release that it was clear that the license was for "Amdocs' use of Linux-based servers in its data centers."

This really does seem somewhat offensive. Microsoft is getting other companies to pay it for software that it had absolutely nothing to do with (and which many people use, in part, because it keeps them away from having to pay Microsoft).

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