Microsoft drives German patent tank into Google's front room

Axis of weasle

Microsoft has obviously decided they are in serious danger of losing their "world's most hated company" crown to Apple, and are taking the appropriate remedial measures in court.

That said, Android *is* becoming their most successful product thanks to their strong-arming of Android OEMs into paying into their cushy little patent-based protection racket, so perhaps it's just defending revenue streams.

Appeal against the decision

Does German patent law include a prior art / non-obviety test? Are the claims outside the scope of patentability?

If so, Motorola can launch a two-pronged attack. (1) Try to get the patents overturned as falsely-granted and (2) Sue Microsoft for damages on the basis that they should have known all along that the patents they were using were bogus.

From what I've read (and admittedly this is the first time I've seen the story commented upon in the tech press) it's basically a patent on an intermediate layer between business logic and user interface. MVC made its first appearance in the 70s and I'm sure the idea of decoupling business logic from the user interface is older than that.

Surely this would fail the "obviousness" test, as pretty much any decent software engineer would seek to decouple business logic from presentation and interaction elements with an intermediate layer. It's simply the application to a well known technique to an area where it would be patently obvious (no pun intended) to apply it.

Are Microsoft going to sue any non-Microsoft operating system that includes keyboard drivers next?

"The patent in question deals with input on touchscreen devices like pop-up keyboards and how they pass data to underlying apps"

How do they know? have they got the source code?

and how can something as everyday and simple as that possibly be patented?

Retaliation

Right I hope Google puts as much effort as possible into antitrust suits against Microsoft.

Windows 8 is a potential antitrust minefield with secure boot looking out rival OS's (including other MS OS's) from WinRT devices and theres the whole browser thing again

http://www.itpro.co.uk/643036/microsoft-threatened-with-windows-8-tablet-antitrust-probe

Again Microsoft/Apple are ruling with Lawyers rather than making good products

And...

...patents do blow donkey balls.

High time to scrap the whole kaboodle and Redo From Start.

I'm getting tired of hearing of Y suing Z because of X and A ... BLEH!!!

Is this how the Germans get all that work done?

They don't have any cell phones any more?

Article schmarticle

The article fails to mention that Microsoft (Germany) is already the subject of an injunction on its products _in Germany_ at the behest of Motorola (Germany) thanks to the formers' violation of the latters' patents. Neither does the article mention MS going crying to a state judge in Seattle who they pursauded to "stay" the injunction in Germany.

Now, how a state curcuit judge in Seattle has jurisdiction in Germany is a mystery to me. What isn't a mystery is Microsoft's continuing propaganda, to which this article plays nicely.

Go look at Groklaw if you want the facts.

Yet another area dripping with Prior Art; what a load of dummkopfs that court must be!

Microsoft are patent trolls who seek to extort money with recycled ideas.

On screen Keyboards have been around for over a decade e.g. for touch screen POS systems, touch screen public lookup systems, and in the jQuery Javascript framework! It is irrelevant if they use MVC. Pop-up windows are nothing amazing either given primitive forms of this were found in MSDOS programs which Microsoft do not own!

There should be a new bonus points target for Demolition Derby like video games, Patent Lawyers and incompetent Patent Clerks/Examiners!

Ah yes, Germany

Where the patent judges all come from Texas.