back to article Microsoft ordered to pay $388m patent infringement damages

Microsoft was slapped with a $388m patent infringement fine yesterday, following a lengthy legal row with anti-piracy software vendor Uniloc. Redmond said it was disappointed with the verdict and added it planned to appeal. The long-running lawsuit was originally brought by Uniloc USA and its Singapore-based parent company in …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    On other foot....

    M$ does not like it when they are shown to be infringing and it is always someone else who is wrong. About time they were shown for what they are at last.

  2. Nick
    Go

    Another day, another fine...

    Move along people, nothing to see here...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    Oh how we all laughed...

    ...software patents, what a hoot.

    I wonder why after five years no one has found any prior art. Perhaps it's sitting underneath the pile of prior art for FAT?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Microsoft says...

    ..."Software patents are a bad thing, unless they are our software patents."

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    PKB HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    >""We believe that we do not infringe, that the patent is invalid "

    Yarrrr! Hoist by yer own petard, patent-bois! Yo-ho-ho!

  6. Roger Greenwood

    Hoist, petard

    nuff said.

  7. Hugh_Pym
    Stop

    What I don't understand is...

    ...the seemingly endless rounds of judgements and overturnings that the judicial system produces.

    Surely when a trial with a competent judge reviews all the evidence and returns a verdict that should be the way it is, barring judicial fraud. How can another judge at appeal see it as the complete opposite of the first, then another appeal sees it returned to the original then other the other way again and so for years and years? If no two judges can agree doesn't this make it a bad law?

    Just looks like a lawyers money-go-round to me. Either that or some gigantic game of poker where the player endlessly 'raise' until one runs out of money.

  8. N

    Pot kettle black?

    Springs to mind

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I hope the damages are increased to $500 Million

    Microsucks is nothing but a scum bum bully. They should pay for the criminal activities plus all court costs and interest on delayed payment to the patent holders.

  10. Giles Jones Gold badge

    If it proves anything...

    It is that more than one person can have the same idea.

    The irony is the patent is for an anti-piracy technology designed to prevent copying of software and the patent holder is alleging that their idea has been copied.

  11. Lager And Crisps
    Flame

    ...(yes that's the sound of me laughing)!!

    Software patents should be unilaterally terminated with extreme prejudice, no matter where they are. Having said that...

    Payback is a bitch aint it Microsoft?

    Now what about those commentators that went out of their way to justify Microsoft's position in the Tom Tom case. Will any step up to explain how this is any different?

  12. Hardcastle
    Gates Horns

    He who lives by the sue, dies by the sue...

    OMG, take a look at Dreadmond... Sue-happy bytchbois... They loooooooove the patent when they can capitalize through litigation. But, when someone else gives them a taste of their own medicine and bends them over for a dry-pound, they start crying with their tails between their arsecheeks, waving the white flag and crying unfair. We as a community have been trying to explain to Deadmond all along that software patents should be considered invalid, but all they could see is that quick buck earned in the most disgraceful of ways... through litigation. Instead of taking the karmic bytchslap they had coming to them like they had a pair, they cop out and, out of desperation, use the same defence we have had to use on their arses because they do not like it at all when they are on the receiving end of the Line Of Pain. Maybe Micro$haft will finally realize how much software patents really lay the suction to the stones and will finally change their ways...

    Yeah, right... the next opportunity that comes for them to extort a few more million from the competition, you know what will happen... they will be on it like malodorant on the proverbial, I assure you. I have no problem with companies making an honest profit with their products based on the product's merits and marketing, for that is Free Enterprise, and we all like to make sure we have those 3 squares a day and shelter, along with some of our wants fulfilled as well. But when a company thinks that they have to bolster the coffers by suppressing competition through claiming "patent infringement", that is not only bad business practice, it is unethical and worthy of a proper arse whoopin'. A company doesn't deserve a single red cent if they have to sue to get it. Perhaps if enough companies come after them and Deadmond's proverbial sphincter gets sore enough, maybe they will finally get the message hammered into their thick block heads that it would be in everyone's best interest to just drop the whole patent bullsheisse with the quickness.

  13. Brent Beach

    RIM comes to mind

    The law around this makes little sense. RIM lost a long infringement battle even though all of the patents on which the battle was contested were found - before the end of the appeal - to be invalid. At the time of the original case they were valid, so RIM paid $600+ million.

  14. Goat Jam
    Gates Horns

    HO HO HO

    HO HO HO HO etc etc

    Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of bullying scumbags. The only thing wrong is that $388M isn't nearly enough. I say they push it up to 500M

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