Microsoft Word banned from sale.

[Pappa]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8197990.stm

Bloody stupid use of the patent laws has allowed this, but it's funny that it's happened to Microsoft.

Judge bans Microsoft Word sales

A US federal court has ordered Microsoft to pay over $290m (£175m) for wilfully infringing on a patent by Canadian firm i4i.

The patent relates to the use of XML, a mark-up language that allows formatting of text and makes files readable across different programs.

XML is used in recent versions of Microsoft's word-processer Word.

Texas district court judge Leonard Davis also filed an injunction preventing Microsoft from selling Word.

The row specifically relates to the use of Extensible Mark-up Language, or XML, documents.

I4i filed a patent in 1998 that outlined a means for "manipulating the architecture and the content of a document separately from each other" invoking XML as a means allowing users to format text documents.

XML is also used extensively among other word-processing programs such as OpenOffice.

Wilful

Earlier this year, the court found in a jury trial that Microsoft had infringed the patent and awarded i4i $200m (£120m).

In the latest ruling, the court ordered Microsoft to pay $40m (£24m) for the wilful nature of the infringement and interest on the amounts totalling more than $40m.

In a separate injunction, the court prohibited Microsoft from "selling, offering to sell, and/or importing in or into the United States" any version of the software that can open custom XML files (with file extensions .xml, .docx, or .docm).

XML is integral to some of the company's programs, such as Word 2007.

Microsoft has 60 days to comply with the injunction but said in a statement that it will appeal the ruling.

"We are disappointed by the court's ruling," said Microsoft spokesperson Kevin Kutz.

"We believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid. We will appeal the verdict."

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Strangely enough, Mickysoft just announced that Office 2010 will be free of charge for download.

[Ayaan]

I use Open Office. MicroSoft gets enough of my money every time I buy a computer.

[Feck]

[Pappa]

I use Open Office. MicroSoft gets enough of my money every time I buy a computer.

And Open Office is actually a better piece of software.

[Kristie]

I use Open Office. MicroSoft gets enough of my money every time I buy a computer.

And Open Office is actually a better piece of software.

My husband uses it. I tried a few times, but I like Word better.

[Pappa]

I use Open Office. MicroSoft gets enough of my money every time I buy a computer.

And Open Office is actually a better piece of software.

My husband uses it. I tried a few times, but I like Word better.

You would!

[SevenOfNine]

Microsoft, like many large corporations, acts like a sociopath, especially when challenged by the competition, [open source or other corporations], the government, the law, or individuals. There is a terrible lack of awareness around the world about the impact of the new 'corporate government" which has replaced the government of states. Real power is now in the corporations and their boardrooms, not in governments and cabinet rooms. These corporations have so much world-spanning economic power that it makes all governments of ALL political flavours mostly irrelevant.

I see no easy solution to this, it is difficult to see how world governments could get together to counter this threat. And yet it affects us all. At a more mundane [and yet important level] archives of governments, corporations, educational institutions, libraries and so on are vulnerable or even unaccessible due to people adopting copyrighted software that is no longer supported by M$.

[BrettA]

Strangely enough, Mickysoft just announced that Office 2010 will be free of charge for download.

Well, this is a great move forward... very much like Fair Trade with coffee, etc.

[AshtonBlack]

Strangely enough, Mickysoft just announced that Office 2010 will be free of charge for download.

Well, this is a great move forward... very much like Fair Trade with coffee, etc.

Office 2010:

"Warning: The font you have chosen is not available in the FREETM version of Word. Please pay $3.99 for 2 hours of it's use."

.... or something along those like that. MS never EVER does anything for "free."

[BrettA]

... FREETM ...

LOL... definitely a stealable 6 characters, there! (I'll be able to put those to work forever...)


“Microsoft - We put the "backwards" into backwards compatibility.” -- Anonymous sig.

[AshtonBlack]

... FREETM ...

LOL... definitely a stealable 6 characters, there! (I'll be able to put those to work forever...)


“Microsoft - We put the "backwards" into backwards compatibility.” -- Anonymous sig.

I think it should be FREE® rather than TM. That way I can sue soup kitchens for giving away soup for "FREE"... grrrr! That's my IP, they're stifling my innovation! SUE THEM!


(Also OpenOffice..... )