Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2012 23:35:05 +0000 From: David Brodbeck <gull@gull.us> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Patent hit - MS goes after Linux - FreeBSD ? Message-ID: <CAHhngE11QF23sFwaRhTMR3D7nu1yQGR=C8tNYndEoBCr6rsBug@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <20120806214830.27efcf77.freebsd@edvax.de> References: <20120805045800.29444.qmail@joyce.lan> <alpine.BSF.2.00.1208051330090.21508@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> <20510.27576.562781.36878@jerusalem.litteratus.org> <20120805093320.7b7f0fc4@scorpio> <20120805214321.17a02e43@papi> <20120806081638.1033190a@scorpio> <20120806183717.ed53868f.steve@sohara.org> <CAHhngE3pu6tDZ2D8kvi3O3vitDUxf4MjDUnpbVJ%2BDDnOr9CHWQ@mail.gmail.com> <20120806214830.27efcf77.freebsd@edvax.de>
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On Mon, Aug 6, 2012 at 7:48 PM, Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> wrote: > It's also debatable if one of today's most prominent use > of patents is fair: "I tell you! I have patents! You are > infringing! I'm not gonna tell you which patents about > what, but I'll sue all your users!" Of course, if such > a claim enters a court, it might be verified or discarded > (because it's just a claim, nothing applicable). In order > not to "risk" a lawsuit, it seems that spreading FUD is > often the more profitable way of using patents: "I told > you! I have patents! But if you pay me $$$, maybe I won't > sue you and your users. Maybe... but now PAY!!!" The companies that do that are generally very large ones like Microsoft. Frankly I'm not sure if you can do much about that kind of behavior; a company of that size and wealth can always find plenty of ways to harass its enemies. Perhaps, to paraphrase Grover Norquist, we need to shrink corporations down until they're small enough that we can drown them in the bathtub. ;)
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