Microsoft Responds To Google’s Extortion Claim | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft Responds To Google’s Extortion Claim

techcrunch.com

28 pointstilt19 comments

The question we ought to ask ourselves is this:

Is making a similar feature or technology bad for innovation and competition?

Because I'm pretty sure Google didn't just start deconstructing and reverse engineering Microsoft's products to make Android.

I don't think "patents" should be licensed. Only actual working products and services - like ActiveSync for example, or the AMOLED display technoogy, and so on. Not these "patents" that no company that will license them will use the "inventions" in them to further build their own products.

Licensing should happen because you want that technology in your product, not because you're afraid of being sued. The current system is completely messed up.

I wonder if the Microsoft representative actually believes that "industry leaders" are the key to innovation, or likely to be hurt by patent shennanigans.

The fact that you can't make a portable computer without paying secret fees for secret patents strikes me as rather bad news for innovation.

True to a point but there is no love lost between Google and Microsoft. Google tried to drive Microsoft out of business with the Google Pack, Chrome OS etc. No serious company would turn $5 for each Android.

Apple is no fan of Google either, nor are the content and publishing companies and the list can go on.

An a serious note, google needs to persue Bing and any similar services using it's patent portfolio. It has important ones like Map-Reduce. Once google gets series it won't matter that MS sues, google can extort MS for cash and feed that money to samsung and friends to help them with their royalties.

Software patents are a terrible thing.

Not just terrible, but an abomination that is holding back information and technology progress.

The whole patent war thing will have to go downhill a while before it all blows in their face.

I wonder if it's any coincidence that Samsung announced that they'll be partnering with Intel to revitalize Maemo (now "Tizen") on the same day that this was announced. This also makes me question how strong their case is against Apple. It sure looks like Google didn't have their bases covered with Android.

It's impossible to have your bases covered as a new player in the OS business. That's the point of software patents. They protect the incumbents from the threat of competition.

I find Shaw's response to be asinine.

I'd say juvenile would be a more appropriate word.

Given Google's recent behaviour with the Nortel auction (bidding pi etc), which could also be seen as a bit childish, perhaps this is Microsoft simply responding in kind. It is bizarre though.

Agreed, and I'd include the whole lot as guilty of immaturity. Google basically gets nailed by a patent holder, and they complain because the patent holder filed a claim against them? And they call them out for "extortion"?

I guess I can go violate someone else's patents, then when they complain, I can say they are extortionist.

And here I thought these companies were supposed to be full of smart people.

Both companies are full of super-smart people, but they're too busy building cool things. This kind of stuff is what happens when you let the MBA's take over.

>(bidding pi etc), which could also be seen as a bit childish

I thought that was harmless & hilarious. Extorting money is neither. Court cases like this are a solid step backwards for the entire tech industry.

Microsoft should consider competing on innovation & tech for a change. Throwing lawyers & FUD at anyone who is beating them is just petty.

Petty pays off.

Why innovate if Google can just steal everything they do?

I have no doubt many of the tens of thousands of patents MS has are stupid, obvious and wrongly awarded. However, tens of thousands of patents also speaks to no small amount of real innovation.

What did Google steal from Microsoft? Has it been proven in a Court?

Look around you, all products in a "product category" are alike. It's how competition works. You don't think Microsoft build similar stuff to others? What about their multi-tasking in Mango?

I'm not claiming competition is bad or microsoft doesn't build similar stuff to others or that anything has been proven in court, red herring much?

Parent comment indicated that Microsoft should "innovate" instead of protecting their IP and apparent approval for any infringement of their other IP. I mean who cares about your other innovations everyone should be free to copy those, shut up and keep innovating.

As much as people at HN like to parrot the line that patents only stifle innovation there's a strong argument that they also encourage it and that innovation should be protected from pirates and copying.

If Microsoft believes their innovations are being copied illegally, saying "they should just innovate more" instead of using legal recourse is silly.

Similarly saying all Microsoft has is FUD is silly, who thinks HTC and Samsung are writing $100 million dollar checks to MS to avoid a spurious lawsuit?

I don't get why Microsoft doesn't mind that the world's impression of doing business with them is that a month later they will be consolling you with "Well, at least you can view this as a lesson learned."

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