while that's an important point, if there's one thing the "235 patents" has shown us, it's that no matter how ludicrous the claim, no matter how unlikely they are to take legal action, the very fact that they leave that option on the table will reverberate in the industry. Microsoft would be idiotic to ever sue anyone as you suggest - but they're not going to shut the door on that option, either, because they want it to be the unspoken fear that gives companies the willies, thus preserving their office monopoly. And it works - companies are afraid of calling Microsoft's bluff, because what would they gain by publicly calling out Microsoft? Nothing - but there's a whole lot to lose, so companies just sort of ignore it, but not really, since it colors their future IT purchases.

-Cyrus
http://www.bytesfree.org/