David and Goliath [Merged with 'MS to be shut down?']

thuh freakthuh freak
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
fortune article. in that article, fortune reports that a small company, InterTrust, with 30 employees has sued Microsoft. They claim patents on drm and other technologies which microsoft has been waving around and claiming to be using in its products. If the suit is successful, InterTrust can cease sales of offending products, and possibly get compensation in the billion dollar range. i dont know how viable the claim is, but in a prelim hearing the judge attacked ms' lawyers for failing to produce evidence they claimed to have. the plaintiffs succeeded, in the prelim, on all 38 counts.



it gives me hope in this dismal archaic world.



anyone think some big wigs should get behind this little co. and help their cause? apple has some money waiting to be spent. if this lawsuit succeeded, it would do more for marketshare and sales than anything apple could produce in such a short time.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    cubedudecubedude Posts: 1,556member
    I heard that Sony and Philips already have substantial investments in InterTrust.
  • Reply 2 of 23
    kecksykecksy Posts: 1,002member
    In all likelyhood, Microsoft will just appeal until legal fees run InterTrust into the ground.
  • Reply 3 of 23
    spartspart Posts: 2,060member
    I don't think their big bro Sony would let that happen.



  • Reply 4 of 23
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    wowzers...sadly enough MS will probably win like always...or perhaps get a slap on the hand
  • Reply 5 of 23
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Is anyone else totally cracking up at the irony of MS stealing DRM technology?







    Piracy indeed!
  • Reply 6 of 23
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Amorph

    Is anyone else totally cracking up at the irony of MS stealing DRM technology?







    Piracy indeed!



    haha yeah i found it kind of ironic...its my hopes that:

    1) they are fighting on principle and not bragging rights that this is theirs

    2) the way MS modded it and the suff they added causes their horrible security
  • Reply 7 of 23
    jante99jante99 Posts: 539member
    From Powerpage.org and Fortune.com :



    It seems that InterTrust owns patents on technology used in over 85% of all Microsoft software. A judge recently ruled in favor of InterTrust in pre-trial hearings in the company is seeking billions from Microsoft.



    Quote:

    As agreed before the hearing, the parties now enter a round of settlement talks. Though InterTrust declines to place a pricetag on the suit, it's hard to imagine the company settling now for any sum that does not have a "B" in it. InterTrust claims that its inventions cover technologies that Microsoft has been weaving into its Windows XP operating system, Office XP Suite, Windows Media Player, Xbox videogame console, and .NET networked computing platform, to name just a few. If settlement talks fail and InterTrust prevails in court, it would be entitled to a court order halting sales of all those products. InterTrust CEO Talal Shamoon asks rhetorically, "How much would that be worth to Microsoft?"



    http://www.fortune.com/fortune/techn...,466180,00.htm



    Longer article requires subscription:

    http://www.fortune.com/fortune/techn...400412,00.html
  • Reply 8 of 23
    delphikidelphiki Posts: 76member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jante99

    From Powerpage.org and Fortune.com :



    It seems that InterTrust owns patents on technology used in over 85% of all Microsoft software. A judge recently ruled in favor of InterTrust in pre-trial hearings in the company is seeking billions from Microsoft.







    http://www.fortune.com/fortune/techn...,466180,00.htm



    Longer article requires subscription:

    http://www.fortune.com/fortune/techn...400412,00.html



    Microsoft can afford to pay billions without having to shut down. It could be a big loss and cut deep into their R&D budget though. I wouldn't hold my breath for this thing to break or cripple Microsoft though.
  • Reply 9 of 23
    martianmattmartianmatt Posts: 79member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Delphiki

    Microsoft can afford to pay billions without having to shut down. It could be a big loss and cut deep into their R&D budget though. I wouldn't hold my breath for this thing to break or cripple Microsoft though.



    In their recent financial statements I belive they said they now have $49 Billion (with a 'B') in cash. They can pay InterTrust any feasible ammount and it would not even dent their opperations, just their stock price (maybe).



    MM
  • Reply 10 of 23
    cubedudecubedude Posts: 1,556member
    Intertrust could try and force settlement talks to fail, just to shut down Mircosoft. This is probably illegal.



    Of course, if MS has been using InterTrust stuff long enough and has been making enough money of it, they might be able to put a rather large dent in MS's pocketbook. This is all speculation.
  • Reply 11 of 23
    audiopollutionaudiopollution Posts: 3,226member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by CubeDude

    Intertrust could try and force settlement talks to fail, just to shut down Mircosoft. This is probably illegal.



    Of course, if MS has been using InterTrust stuff long enough and has been making enough money of it, they might be able to put a rather large dent in MS's pocketbook. This is all speculation.



    The alleged infringements cover a wide range of Microsoft software. If InterTrust were able to get an injunction to stop Microsoft from selling any of the products that infringe, there could be large problems for MS.



    This will all end up with a payment from MS to InterTrust for a decent amount of money, and some kind of licensing scheme (which will eventually become void when MS buys some other digital rights software company and use their IP in place of the infringing code).
  • Reply 12 of 23
    shankstashanksta Posts: 96member
    If it comes down to it, they will pay and their stock will rise dramatically because it would basically mean that Microsoft won't have another antitrust case for a while.
  • Reply 13 of 23
    macsrgood4umacsrgood4u Posts: 3,007member
    M$ will not shut down. A trial will drag on for years as InterTrust will have to prove its' case in court. And....... the Federal Government still leans over when Bill Gates enters the room. Sodomy in a Republican Administration? You bet!
  • Reply 14 of 23
    airslufairsluf Posts: 1,861member
    Kickaha and Amorph couldn't moderate themselves out of a paper bag. Abdicate responsibility and succumb to idiocy. Two years of letting a member make personal attacks against others, then stepping aside when someone won't put up with it. Not only that but go ahead and shut down my posting priviledges but not the one making the attacks. Not even the common decency to abide by their warning (afer three days of absorbing personal attacks with no mods in sight), just shut my posting down and then say it might happen later if a certian line is crossed. Bullshit flag is flying, I won't abide by lying and coddling of liars who go off-site, create accounts differing in a single letter from my handle with the express purpose to decieve and then claim here that I did it. Everyone be warned, kim kap sol is a lying, deceitful poster.



    Now I guess they should have banned me rather than just shut off posting priviledges, because kickaha and Amorph definitely aren't going to like being called to task when they thought they had it all ignored *cough* *cough* I mean under control. Just a couple o' tools.



    Don't worry, as soon as my work resetting my posts is done I'll disappear forever.

  • Reply 15 of 23
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    hey, someone already posted about this, with a more clever thread title: David and Goliath
  • Reply 16 of 23
    rageaholicrageaholic Posts: 4member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by thuh Freak

    hey, someone already posted about this, with a more clever thread title: David and Goliath



    **** those religious bitches!





    Shut MS DOWWWWWWWWWN
  • Reply 17 of 23
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    Only a week late, big guy.



    I'll try merging them.
  • Reply 18 of 23
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    reality check:



    recently, i believe i read that apple has somewhere between 4.5 and 6.5 billion dollars in cash reserves in the bank. sounds impressive, huh?



    by contrast, microsoft has between 45 and 60 billion dollars in cash reserves.*







    i don't think even God could shut down microsoft and its glacial, juggernaut momentum anymore.



    * you have to wonder what the heck they're actually doing with all of that money. seems apple does a heck of a lot more with a heck of a lot less.
  • Reply 19 of 23
    dog almightydog almighty Posts: 464member
    It would not be a good thing if Microsoft suddenly, all-at-once shut down. 95% of the computer industry relies on them. The industry would be crippled for a while, and have to get its shit together.



    Best to kill them slowly, let their influence dwindle 'til it means nothing to average people anymore. Then, with their power waning, the company is either (finally) shut down, or with their positions of strength reversed, Apple's integrity suffers, and Microsoft is forced to make something worth buying for its quality, with shitty switcher campaigns. And a new power struggle ensues!
  • Reply 20 of 23
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Dog Almighty

    It would not be a good thing if Microsoft suddenly, all-at-once shut down. 95% of the computer industry relies on them. The industry would be crippled for a while, and have to get its shit together.



    Best to kill them slowly, let their influence dwindle 'til it means nothing to average people anymore. Then, with their power waning, the company is either (finally) shut down, or with their positions of strength reversed, Apple's integrity suffers, and Microsoft is forced to make something worth buying for its quality, with shitty switcher campaigns. And a new power struggle ensues!



    well, its not like ms destruction would force all windows computers to shut down or stop working in any way (except maybe, certain versions of windows that do drm type checks constantly over the net). a lot of people would be forced to upgrade to apples, or go to linux (or possibly some other pc platform). hopefully, ms' destruction would lead to increased apple use; maybe linux for servers.



    ms destruction would cause all kinds of collateral damage though. theres probably million companies that make apps solely for windows. many of them may not be able to afford the change to macos. it could hurt the economy in huge ways if ms went suddenly.
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