Microsoft Ordered To Pay $388 Million In Patent Case 233
jeffmeden writes "BusinessWeek reports today that Microsoft suffered a loss in federal court Monday. The judge rendering the verdict ordered Microsoft to pay $388 Million in damages for violating a patent held by Uniloc, a California maker of software that prevents people from illegally installing software on multiple computers. Uniloc claims Microsoft's Windows XP and some Office programs infringe on a related patent they hold. It's hard to take sides on this one, but one thing is certain: should the verdict hold up, it will be heavily ironic if the extra copies of XP and Office sold due to crafty copy protection end up not being worth $388 million."
cleverly... (Score:5, Funny)
Microsoft will find a way to pay them with copies of Windows XP.
Karma (Score:4, Funny)
This is what they get for suing TomTom. What goes around..
The judge must be in error ... (Score:3, Funny)
( from http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/08/1733206 [slashdot.org] )
Re:cleverly... (Score:3, Funny)
which are worth $30/ea now.
Re:Karma (Score:5, Funny)
Two wrongs don't make a right, but it does create a warm fuzzy feeling to know someone who wrongs others gets a little of it back. I don't approve of software patents, don't get me wrong, but it is kind of funny that Microsoft spent all that time rumbling about patent infringement and then get slapped with a massive patent infringement bill.
For some reason, I just had a mental image of Marie Antoinette being drowned in a vat of cake-mix...
Re:cleverly... (Score:5, Funny)
Microsoft will find a way to pay them with coupons toward the purchase of copies of Windows XP.
Fixed that for ya.
He who lives by the patents... (Score:5, Funny)
...die by the patents.
Re:He who lives by the patents... (Score:3, Funny)
Nah, that's an old one. I like the updated version much better:
"He who lives by the sword is shot by someone who doesn't"
WGA (Score:4, Funny)
Does this mean I'll have to give up my Windows Genuine Advantage tool? I was enjoying the convenience of the frequent black screens, nag screens and reboots.
Re:One can dream (Score:5, Funny)
Re:One can dream (Score:4, Funny)
They're about the only ones left with any money.
But I read a week ago that Microsoft wanted bailout money due to lackluster sales of Vista.
Re:One can dream (Score:5, Funny)
That's why you read kdawson articles only for the humor. Facts are to be found elsewhere.