New way for software-lockin: patents

[mobrien_12]

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5146581.html

MS has announced that they will use XML, an open standard, as their office document format.  Well this poses a problem for MS because they depend on the office format for lock-in.  

The solution:  patent the method of acessing and modifying XML based documents in a 3rd party word processor...

Yes, they are applying for a patent on accessing the XML documents with non MS software...

[solarflare]

quote:Originally posted by M. O'Brien:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5146581.html

MS has announced that they will use XML, an open standard, as their office document format.  Well this poses a problem for MS because they depend on the office format for lock-in.  

The solution:  patent the method of acessing and modifying XML based documents in a 3rd party word processor...

Yes, they are applying for a patent on accessing the XML documents with non MS software...

Let's hope this is never passed - otherwise the computer world is in deep shit!.

I wonder if a smaller company had patented this whether it would go through?

Probably not - It's all about buying the best lawyers!

[WMD]

If MS were to patent XML, the entire computer world would support the W3C in getting that removed.

This won't work.