Re: Surprised

Tom,

I don't consider Microsoft's patent portfolio to be
daunting in the least; there are many other companies
with much more significant portfolios -- note IBM's
recent use of its portfolio in the SCO fiasco.

My point is that if a small company or individual
inventor creates a new "mousetrap" that is
sufficiently compelling in its function to gain wide
adoption in the marketplace (e.g. web browser
plug-ins), then the marketplace has a means to obviate
the 95%+ market control of a monopolist (e.g.
Microsoft).

Microsoft is not measured on the quality of their
products or services; they are measured on the ability
to interact and make use of the personal computer
which they have dominated through predatory means
(e.g. you can't buy a PC from Dell -- or others -- w/o
a MSFT operating system installed).

I have yet to see MSFT use their portfolio of patents
to control the marketplace and given their lackluster
performance in invention, I do not see them doing it
in the future; why try to dominate through patents
when you can dominate more easily through predatory
practices?

--- tom poe <tompoe@amihost.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi, D:  Would you feel the same way, if the table
> were level, and MS
> didn't have all their patents to stifle innovation,
> and they were left
> to compete in the market place without them, relying
> only on their
> quality of product and service?
> Thanks,
> Tom Poe
> Open Studios
> Reno, NV
> http://www.studioforrecording.org/
> 
> On Thu, 2003-09-04 at 14:44, D Goneit wrote:
> > 
> > I am suprised at the amount of speculation on this
> > list; apparently few have taken the time to read
> the
> > patent in detail or the IEEE Visualization paper.
> > 
> > >From my reading of those documents, I think the
> claim
> > language is straight-forward and clearly
> > differentiates this invention from the earlier
> work
> > that has been discussed.
> > 
> > I do not believe patents, software or not, are
> > inherently bad.  In fact, I believe they are the
> best
> > defense the technical community has to ensure that
> > innovation continues against the hegemony of the
> > WINTEL duopoloy.
> > 
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> 
> 


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Received on Friday, 5 September 2003 16:52:23 UTC