The World is Laughing at Our Patent Wars

All over the world, the laughs are coming, and the pity is probably on the way after that. First, it was George Bush, and cowboy diplomacy, Guantanamo and what really constitutes torture, now, it is the flag of patent war, to cover up the loss of innovation and decency.

The carnage after these ‘patent wars’ is not tactile, but no less real. Loss of innovation is just one casualty.

Another journey to itwire.com, and a peek at how the United States is viewed from down under (no pun intended), produces yet another insight, apparently unavailable inside domestic borders.

Not only does the Aussie author agree with my assessment of the connection between Microsoft and IP Innovations, he brings forth the connection between Microsoft and CNet -

Both Microsoft and IP Innovations have denied links to each other but who is going to believe them? At least one of the media outlets that is pushing this view is itself in bed with Microsoft - CNET Channel, a division of CNET Networks, which owns a large number of technology publications including ZDNET, has a deal with Microsoft to distribute information about products that have earned the Certified for Windows Vista or the Works with Windows Vista logo.

Is this not usually called conflict of interest?

and

How do you keep your rival from competing with you? Simple, distract the man or woman using a proxy to avoid claims of unfair competition. The patent suits against Novell and Red Hat may come to nothing - there is plenty of prior art in this case. But it will tie up resources and people - which is precisely what it aims to do.

IP Innovations is not the first company of its kind which has Microsoft ex-employees  - Nathan Myhrvold, for many years a senior Microsoft employee, runs an outfit called Intellectual Ventures, a company devoted to buying potentially profitable patents.

One of the real questions not asked, by the Australian article or me, until now, is ‘Why does any company sell its patent rights to trolls, when it does them only a small good in the short term, and does much damage in the long term, if the selling company tries to further innovate? The innovation just might be quashed by the older patent, now not belonging to the original holder.

The author also mentions the idea that innovation has run out at Microsoft, and other companies who are now making such a large effort to litigate their way to riches.

Brandishing the patent threat is an admission by Microsoft that it has run out of ideas which can be used to sell its technology. Or rather it does not see much scope of maintaining the kind of income it enjoys if competition exists.

Ironically, it is the one company which has paid out the most to settle patent suits. The same company that rails against piracy is the only big tech company to be convicted of such claims -in Nantes, France, in 1994.

The case will take its own sweet time to be resolved - unless the parties settle out of court, which is unlikely.

 

Get your tickets to the show early. It promises to be quite a spectacle.

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[tags] Linux, Red Hat, Novell, Microsoft, IP Innovations, patent trolls, Intellectual Ventures, CNet [/tags]