JMH
Banned
- Local time
- 1:56 PM
- Messages
- 6,448
Expert: Regulators "slow to catch up" to Microsoft patent bullyingGoogle and at least one of its Android partners—Barnes and Noble—have been agitating for a government antitrust investigation of Microsoft's patent licensing practices. Last month, Barnes and Noble submitted a formal request for the Department of Justice to launch a probe.
According to Barnes and Noble, Microsoft claims to have over 60,000 patents. Fewer than 20,000 of those were granted by the patent office; Microsoft presumably purchased the other 40,000 from other firms. The result is one of the world's largest "patent thickets." Microsoft has so many patents that it's difficult to build a software product as complex as a mobile operating system without infringing dozens, maybe even hundreds, of them.
And Microsoft is taking full advantage of that fact, approaching each Android-based phone manufacturer in turn and demanding stiff licensing fees—fees that are allegedly at least as high as the fees Microsoft charges for its own Windows Phone 7 operating system. Microsoft has also been cagey about identifying the specific patents allegedly infringed by Android vendors. Some observers (including me) have characterized the process as a shakedown.
My Computer
At a glance
Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit. SP1.Intel i7 -720QM.[1.6GHz Turbo Boost 2.8GHz. 6...8 DDR 3 RAM. 1066MHZATI 1024 MB. DDR3. Radeon HD5650
- Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
- LAPTOP. HP Pavilion dv7-4010TX .
- OS
- Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit. SP1.
- CPU
- Intel i7 -720QM.[1.6GHz Turbo Boost 2.8GHz. 6MB Cache.]
- Memory
- 8 DDR 3 RAM. 1066MHZ
- Graphics Card(s)
- ATI 1024 MB. DDR3. Radeon HD5650
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 17.3" High Definition Brightview LCD. LED Backlit.
- Screen Resolution
- 1600 x 900.
- Hard Drives
- 640GB
- Case
- Laptop / notebook.
- Mouse
- Logitech Anywhere mouse. MX.
- Internet Speed
- ADSL [ but too slow ]