Eola patent suit against Microsoft invalidated

[minstrel]

MSNBC: Patent central to Microsoft case invalidated (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4460598/)
Web browsing claim by Eolas focus of much controversy
By Reed Stevenson

Updated: 6:50 p.m. ET March 05, 2004
SEATTLE - The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has invalidated a claim to Web browser technology central to a case against Microsoft Corp., a move that could spare the software giant from paying more than half a billion dollars in damages, according to documents obtained on Friday.

The patent agency's preliminary decision, if upheld, also means that Microsoft will not be required to make changes to its Internet Explorer Web browser that would have crippled the program's ability to work with mini-programs that work over the Internet, such as the Quicktime and Flash media players.

more on this story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4460598/)

[timmathews.com]

That is fantastic!
Go Bill!
:)

[spice]

Hurray!

[flashfast]

I'm new - hi. Does this mean we wont have to change flash web code? At FlashKit I got emails and newsletters etc etc that everyone had to update flash code etc etc - the sky's falling - but I didnt have the time to update the site (we do mostly animated video now) and ignored it. If true I pity all those people who had to upadate all their web pages.

And who can really own algorythms anyway? Werent they invented thousands of years ago by a clever Greek? I know they patent the alg. structure but it's often difficult to prove that it's proprietary. I recently heard a story about png image files. Apple layed claim to copyright of png and planned to license the format commercially (making png illegal to create and use). In fact some university professor wrote the code years before apple's claimed invention, and released it as open source - shot Apple's claims straight out of court (thankfully, as png are a remarkable advancement for web graphics, animation, video etc etc).

http://www.flashfast.com

[minstrel]

I'm new - hi.
Hi, flashfast, welcome to WebProWorld...


Does this mean we wont have to change flash web code?
Thankfully, it appears so...


And who can really own algorythms anyway? Weren't they invented thousands of years ago by a clever Greek?
That might have been logarithms... or pythagorisms... or possibly plagiarism... it's all Greek to me...


I recently heard a story about png image files. Apple layed claim to copyright of png and planned to license the format commercially (making png illegal to create and use). In fact some university professor wrote the code years before apple's claimed invention, and released it as open source - shot Apple's claims straight out of court
Now that's a darn lie - Sean Connery invented png in the movie, "The Hunt For Red October"!

[flashfast]

Beware of Greeks bearing algorythms!

[mikmik]

Hey, folks. I want to point out two quotes, and keep in mind that this is a different process that made this decision from the court proceedings now:
Microsoft's Desler pointed out that this is not a final ruling -- and that Microsoft continues to fight Eolas' claims in the U.S District Court of Appeals. The implementation of an injunction against the use of ActiveX controls and plug-ins in IE was stayed pending the result of that appeal.

But, in any event, it doesn't look like IE will have to change after all, and even if it did, it's not as bad as was first portrayed
While Windows XP Service Pack 2, expected in June 2004, will contain updates to the browser, they're security oriented, according to Desler. While IE continues to evolve, he said, it wouldn't be hard to implement the necessary changes if Eolas prevailed. Microsoft has said it would simply cause a box to appear on the Web page that the user would have to manually click to invoke the applet.

"The changes we were contemplating would have been minor steps, and we believe they still can be made, if need be," he told internetnews.com.


I do want to congratulate "Mercury" minstrel.
I thought I had a scoop, and you beat me by a day!

(the article I read, http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3322581 )