mickey megabyte said:

so, free software now costs $5,000,000?

... And people say Microsoft is the villain of the story.

so............. Bedrock owns Linux then???? Who gets the money if they don't?

Fred Flinstone? Barney Rubble?

Fayla said:

I love how America still allows these patents to be registered and or sold on (makes for funny news articles.) There have been companies going around for years, buying up patents and then promptly suing other companies once they officially own the patent (using the most loose legal terms too if I may say so.)

Yes, these software patents are ridiculous at best. Most of them, when you get down to it, are prior art. Meaning that others have been doing the same thing for years before somebody got the wise idea to patent the vague concept. Then, once the patent holder gets involved, these companies end up in court spending all kinds of money trying to defend themselves.

Here is the exact patent in this case;
United States Patent: 5893120

Fayla said:

"The jury determined that Google violated Bedrock's patent by using Linux on its back-end servers (the search giant also uses Linux on employee desktops)."

Does that mean Google will have to do a "Format C:" on ALL of their computers' and start mass buying up Windows 7 licenses? :)[/quote] Um no, $5million while it stands is a tiny amount. Did you know that Google is the 4th larger server manufacturer in the world...and they don't even sell their servers. Paying for MS licensing would cost them far more than this lawsuit. However, I see this lawsuit going down on appeal as do many bloggers who have evaluated this patent and the court system in which it was ruled on in Texas.

Fayla said:

If you can't make money, sue someone-- is the way of modern times

Yes, it's sad but true. Take the code and make a product that works so much better that nobody would use anything but your system. That's what you should do. Bedrock should do something innovative, rather than going after other people doing business.

I'm unsure how it is that automobiles aren't patented. An apparatus of human transport allowing movement from point A to point B, with variable speeds and variable seating, offered in many color combinations, with other various options for comfort and functionality.

That's pocket change for Google.

Oh yeah, and some more reading shows that Red Hat currently has sued Bedrock claiming prior art. Apparently Bedrock got this patent in 1997....but yet Linux has been using it back in 1991.

This Red Hat Suit was filed a year and a half ago and isn't settled;
Red Hat Challenges Bedrock Data Patent's Validity - Law360