RE: Microsoft should just do a license deal with Eolas

Eolas can give Mozilla.org a restricted royality-free license.  Eolas
shouldn't need money from Mozilla with all of their cash from Microsoft.

Because I haven't studied the claims in the Eolas patent, I can't
comment if it is a ridiculous patent or not.  Having worked in the
patent legal cases before, its important to understand what exactly the
claims are saying and the details of any similar products that were
being shipped before the filing date of the patent.  The devil is in the
details as they say.

If there is prior art, then by all means the patent should be
overturned.  If not, then a Microsoft/Eolas license agreement will mean
much less disruption to the Web than ripping out plumbing like Flash
which is used all over the Web and starting over.

The problem I have right now is Microsoft is giving signals that they
are going to pull plugins out of Internet Explorer.  A cheap solution
for them maybe, but it screws everyone else who depends on plugins.

Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: Samuel Neff [mailto:srnlists@speakeasy.net] 
Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2003 2:57 PM
To: 'Richard M. Smith'
Subject: RE: Microsoft should just do a license deal with Eolas



And who is going to pay the licensing fee for Open Source programs such
as
Mozilla?  The patent sounds ridiculous and if there is prior art then it
should be thrown out.  If the patent is valid, then there should be a
replacement technology that doesn't infringe the patent.

Sam


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> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-web-plugins-request@w3.org 
> [mailto:public-web-plugins-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of 
> Richard M. Smith
> Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2003 2:14 PM
> To: public-web-plugins@w3.org
> Subject: Microsoft should just do a license deal with Eolas
> 
> 
> BTW, My reading of this situation is if Microsoft were willing to pay
> ongoing royalities to Eolas, then no technical changes would have to
> made in Internet Explorer.  The license agreement between 
> Microsoft and
> Eolas should also cover any 3rd party media player that runs 
> in Internet
> Explorer.  If such a deal were to be struck, then everyone 
> else could go
> about their business.  Ultimately these patent license fees could be
> passed along to computer manufacturers who are already paying similar
> fees for hardware patents.
> 
> Richard

Received on Saturday, 30 August 2003 15:12:14 UTC