[chconline]

There's been a lot of news with regards to the use of XML encoding for Word 2007 files, that's apparently vaguely patented by i4i. I'm interested to see some further opinion on this issue.

Personally, when I see this case, I find the patent to be extremely vague with regards to what it is (Don't remember the exact wording -- anyone got a source? ) and Microsoft isn't the only company implementing such a feature. i4i claims that they don't want MS Word to be pushed off the market, and obviously isn't likely to happen either due to Microsoft Word being a core MS product, and the dependency of many companies on this product (Plus everyone would be really pissed at i4i) and does no particular gain to i4i in general. Another sue happy for $$$ company, if I was the judge I would have told them to STFU and throw them out of court already.

[shc-boomer]

Yep, but the big thing is that it seems that using XML on a website violates the patent.

[chconline]

Ahh I found the document: http://blog.seattlep...4icomplaint.pdf

Personally I found the .*x format excellent. It's also literally half the size for anything you get in normal Office formats.

But yeah, they should sue every website as well, and OpenOffice

[TL6MT]

This is a good example of where patents have gone too far - patents itself are to protect inventors not completely vague definitions that somehow got approved for sue happy america. You can see that they always sue these kind of case in Texas because thats the only court that wont throw you out for stupid **** like this. I don't see Microsoft doing anything wrong in particular.

[shc-boomer]

Patent sitting is the lamest thing ever. Doing this makes innovations, well less innovative or non-existent.

[chconline]

I agree with you on those points. For the fact that patents are to protect innovation in the first place, companies turn around and do patent sitting as a business, as seen here. Vague patents like this simply reduces innovation as Kenneth said -- it's hard to make anything new without some guy down the street with some uber vague patent going like OMG YOU STOLE MY STUFFS!!! when in reality the guy probably never even thought of this in the first place.