From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Aug 6 23:35:07 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1E82B106564A for ; Mon, 6 Aug 2012 23:35:07 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from gull@gull.us) Received: from mail-we0-f182.google.com (mail-we0-f182.google.com [74.125.82.182]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9B3AB8FC0C for ; Mon, 6 Aug 2012 23:35:06 +0000 (UTC) Received: by weyx56 with SMTP id x56so2922938wey.13 for ; Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:35:05 -0700 (PDT) X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=google.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:x-originating-ip:in-reply-to:references:date :message-id:subject:from:to:content-type:x-gm-message-state; bh=gGJeBi2runVIHUbQPqAgz5xHOhQ1D3I/Dgdgaty9Jrg=; b=FCiavKOZiLmZ5jU3PV3S9PFHOaw/EWL7YzFBA/yQrlH/iEOVyx4EEJdqjkrfokRqBH gS0/SoqBDdJ/BaBuosNtEBX4Os0VqkuzOYYLsjvKjikxWC1QVbWO4ynU2uisoXFEDYUN O3VEOFialVmupYuv/ElQ/q05ngh9sGqRAFOCg3lpPHx0TaLNa41LcoJM/i4evnl06Lre xJQSXuDOziSTp9wdBIrXhFXBUxjvQ2JRfHP72SWm7npih0pcJY1+ezCP6PCV1hwmCN8J giSTgOle81hZlX4HcICU38JMMF8Xn+6eLQFys11uXPpysasys4LWl38ZpDUj8XrpuoX8 pPmg== MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.180.89.235 with SMTP id br11mr22289384wib.3.1344296105253; Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:35:05 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.216.28.206 with HTTP; Mon, 6 Aug 2012 16:35:05 -0700 (PDT) X-Originating-IP: [128.95.17.228] In-Reply-To: <20120806214830.27efcf77.freebsd@edvax.de> References: <20120805045800.29444.qmail@joyce.lan> <20510.27576.562781.36878@jerusalem.litteratus.org> <20120805093320.7b7f0fc4@scorpio> <20120805214321.17a02e43@papi> <20120806081638.1033190a@scorpio> <20120806183717.ed53868f.steve@sohara.org> <20120806214830.27efcf77.freebsd@edvax.de> Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2012 23:35:05 +0000 Message-ID: From: David Brodbeck To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-Gm-Message-State: ALoCoQn+jEqKQxm9bmFyRhtrEKkHqLVg2PtaYfmjUxWBS3lXZsRfQ1RaL6tad8vRBeNP0YKKa5fr Subject: Re: Patent hit - MS goes after Linux - FreeBSD ? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:35:07 -0000 On Mon, Aug 6, 2012 at 7:48 PM, Polytropon 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. ;)