Vertical Computer Systems Incorporated filed a suit on April 18 in a U.S. District Court in Texas against Microsoft Corporation for patent infringement related to Microsoft's .Net framework, used for building Windows-based software. Vertical alleges that Microsoft has infringed on its Patent #6,826,744, for a "system and method for generating web sites in an arbitrary object framework." The patent is for Vertical's SiteFlash technology, which utilizes XML (Extensible Markup Language) to create a component-based structure to build and efficiently operate Web sites, according to the company's Web site. The complaint says Microsoft is still wilfully infringing on the patent despite Vertical having put Microsoft on notice about it on February 7. Vertical is asking for a jury trial. Vertical, based in Fort Worth, Texas, describes itself as a global Web services provider. It went public in 2000 but is not listed on a major stock exchange.
News source: ComputerWorld
News source: ComputerWorld
I cannot agree with you more!
Like gaining rights for the part about "whip the cream" in a food recipe and being able to sue all other that include that part...
Last edited by Jugalator on 21 Apr 2007 - 21:53
Well said
You can't exactly feel sorry for MS when they get sued, no matter how frivolous the case, MS engages in exactly the same kind of FUD and has been one of the top promoters of it.
You can't exactly feel sorry for MS when they get sued, no matter how frivolous the case, MS engages in exactly the same kind of FUD and has been one of the top promoters of it.
You are wrong. MS says that software patents are bad but it has to use them because everyone do.
It's like nuclear weapons. If you don't have them you can do nothing.
Everyone wants a piece of Bill pie... How he does buy them and sells them on eBay.
EDIT: Here's Vertical's company description:
"Vertical Computer Systems, Inc. (VCSY) is a provider of Internet core technologies, administrative software, and derivative software application products through its distribution network."
Now, everyone that their software is derived from can just steamroll right over them since they opened the door.
BONUS: http://www.vcsy.com/investor/stockactivity.php
Their stock is worth 2 cents! lol
Last edited by GreyWolfSC on 21 Apr 2007 - 17:58
EDIT: Here's Vertical's company description:
"Vertical Computer Systems, Inc. (VCSY) is a provider of Internet core technologies, administrative software, and derivative software application products through its distribution network."
Now, everyone that their software is derived from can just steamroll right over them since they opened the door.
BONUS: http://www.vcsy.com/investor/stockactivity.php
Their stock is worth 2 cents! lol
I think they mean software derived from their core technologies, not other people's tech.
Everyone working with the current web tech at the time saw a need for this kind of thing and grew their own. I really don't know how they expect to win. The .NET Framework isn't really like Vertical's tech at all. Sharepoint/web parts, on the other hand, seems more like what Vertical has produced. .NET, you still have to do a lot of work to achieve what Vertical's patent covers. Besides, architecture is architecture. Using components in the web was a natural progression from classic ASP inline script or static html. I guess Vertical should sue Plumtree, Sun, BEA and the rest of the world for this one.
I hate companies like this. They can't make a name for themselves so they'll try to sue another company to make a few dollars.
I absolutely agree. If this was such a big deal, why wasn't the suit done back in 2002? Why is it loosers like this, Real, Eolas and the like wait years before they sue? I reckon there should be some expirary date on these things, because they almost always ask for damages in the millions, and they always sue well after the product is used by the millions, seems wrong to me.
So in other words, they try to enforce a patent about "building websites in a modern programming language"?
Wow, I hope they won't succeed in that...
Step 2) Lets have an idea and patient it
Step 3) Lets stick our head in the sand
... YEARS LATER ...
Step 4) Lets take our head out the sand
HOLY CRAP! Someone has been infringing our patient for over 5 years!
LETS SUE!!!
PS. How pathetic, this company doesn't even deserve the time of day.
What's their excuse? They're a "Global Web Services Provider", how could anyone who develops for the net not know about ASP.net?
Obviously what's happened is that the company has been bought out, and the new directors have suddenly realised that the company has these patients which can bail them out of trouble, because obviously they don't have a clue about the internet, they're not making money from it, so the only way that they can survive is by stealing from those who do know about the internet.
I can't wait for Adobe to nail these guys for trademark infringement:
SiteFlash™
ResponseFlash™
Using the "Flash" name, even as part of a compound term, would be no different than using "SiteWindows™" or "ResponseWindows™", and we all know how long Microsoft would let them get away with that!
90% of them will solve the problem in some way that would infringe on a patent.
That's the problem with software patents. It stifles development in software because there is so much collusion.
Last edited by neufuse on 22 Apr 2007 - 01:44
Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!
Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.