Microsoft patent claims hint at internal issues
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
Microsofts aim to seek patent royalties from open source distributors and users may be an attempt to use legal threats to deflect attention from larger questions surrounding its business, including lack of interest in new versions of core products and lackluster profit from new wares.
Microsoft's claims that it will ask distributors and users to pay royalties for up to 235 of its patents included in open source software, including Linux, is clearly an attempt to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt and make people hesitant to use open source as an alternative to commercial products, intellectual-property attorneys said. But the claims also raise questions about the business strategy behind Microsoft's aggressive moves to seek licensing money from patents amid rumbles that customers have been slow to adopt Windows Vista and Office 2007, while new products such as the Xbox 360 remain unprofitable.