According to itnews.com a court ruling today demands defendants Microsoft and Autodesk to pay a total of $133 million to programmer, David Colvin, founder of z4 Technologies.
The suit was over Microsoft and Autodesk using patent-protected anti-piracy technologies on their software.
“While we are disappointed with this verdict, we continue to contend that there was no infringement of any kind and that the facts in this case show that Microsoft developed its own product activation technologies well before z4 Technologies filed for its patent,” Microsoft spokesman Jack Evans said.
Jack Evans’ comment seems to imply that the technologies in question were written by z4 Technologies, but not patented at the time of their implementation into Microsoft’s and Autodesk’s software.
Despite the legalities of the timing of when it was ‘property’ of z4 Technologies, it’s obviously believed by the court, that ruled in favor of z4, that Microsoft and Autodesk are both guilty of breaching a patent, in essence; piracy.
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Well that’s pretty much chump change for Microsoft. Good for David Colvin. Maybe they won’t be able to include product activation in Longhorn heh that’d be cool.
It’s nothing new corporations stealing intellectual property covertly for years. Like Microsoft uses Java to create their own but don’t expect them to stop using product activation protection for their own products!
lol bush now microsoft this is turning out very bad for the riaa
what does the riaa have to do with this article?