Here's a lengthy article about how MS is alerting the press and explaining it's position:


http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2129973,00.asp

Let the arguments begin!!

Don

Agreed Chris. Although I'm sure that MS is right, there probably are 235 patents that various open source software violates, I doubt that many, if any, of them are legally enforcible. IMHO this is more or less a marketing attack to scare off corporations from using OSS.

Of course I could be completely wrong, but given Microsoft's track record with such things and their refusal to disclose what patents are being violated, this looks like a lot of FUD to me.

Well I'm certainly glad I won't have to give my lawyer friend in DC a call anytime soon, but I don't think that most people were afraid of any type of lawsuit to begin with. It seems that it's more of a PR stunt to scare businesses away from using Linux - again, I'd like to see the actual patents. It would also be pretty interesting to see pigs fly. 

Linus Torvalds says pretty much the same thing here:

Linus Torvalds Responds To Microsoft Patent Claims
InformationWeek , May 15, 2007
The holder of the Linux trademark suggests Microsoft should name the patents it alleges have been violated so the claims can be tested in court.

Along those same lines, here's another interesting article:

Who Owns Linux? Linus. . .And A Detergent Company In Switzerland
InformationWeek , May 21, 2007
In case you were wondering--and I was, given the noises Microsoft has been making lately about the open-source operating system--Linus Torvalds does indeed own the trademark on Linux. Interestingly, so does Rosch, a detergent company based in Switzerland...

I'll spare you the "clean" jokes.

Don