Return-Path: <linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org>
Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand
	id <S129259AbRBPPWy>; Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:22:54 -0500
Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org
	id <S129591AbRBPPWo>; Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:22:44 -0500
Received: from zeus.kernel.org ([209.10.41.242]:61632 "EHLO zeus.kernel.org")
	by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id <S129259AbRBPPWa>;
	Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:22:30 -0500
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 15:10:39 +0000 (GMT)
From: James Sutherland <jas88@cam.ac.uk>
To: Rik van Riel <riel@conectiva.com.br>
cc: Alan Olsen <alan@clueserver.org>,
        "David D.W. Downey" <pgpkeys@hislinuxbox.com>,
        Mark Haney <mhaney@info4cars.com>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: RE: Linux stifles innovation...
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.31.0102161343240.28870-100000@localhost.localdomain>
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.4.21.0102161510010.23382-100000@red.csi.cam.ac.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org
X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org

On Fri, 16 Feb 2001, Rik van Riel wrote:

> On Thu, 15 Feb 2001, Alan Olsen wrote:
> 
> > I expect the next thing that will happen is that they will get
> > patents on key portions of their protocols and then start
> > enforcing them.
> 
> If Microsoft would start pissing off IBM and other major
> companies which have big business interests in Linux by
> invoking their patents, I can just imagine IBM coming down
> on Microsoft with their own patents ...
> 
> "Hey you!  Stop flipping those bits!  Hold it right there!
>  ... Don't you flip any more bits, read this patent first..."
> 
> (and I'm sure they must have patents on _setting_ bits as
> well ;))

Apparently they DO have a patent on the tab key - you thought Amazon's
"one click shopping" patent was bad?!


James.

-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/