[Forum] Fwd: PUBPAT News: PUBPAT Announces Microsoft Patent Watch

[Marc Lavallée]

La fondation "Public Patent" a besoin de notre aide!

Bien que PubPat soit un organisme américain, la situation quant aux brevets 
logiciels est assez semblable au Canada, et l'armée de brevets que se 
constitue M$ avant la sortie de son prochain Windows nous affectera aussi.

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Subject: PUBPAT News: PUBPAT Announces Microsoft Patent Watch
Date: 12 Juillet 2004 07:33
From: Public Patent Foundation <info at pubpat.org>
To: PUBPAT News List <news at pubpat.org>

PUBPAT ANNOUNCES MICROSOFT PATENT WATCH: Public Interest Organization
Monitors Patent Assertion by Software Monopolist

NEW YORK -- The Public Patent Foundation ("PUBPAT") announced today the
expansion of its Microsoft Patent Watch initiative that monitors and
responds to the patent assertion efforts of the Redmond, WA based
software monopolist.  The initiative, initially an internal activity of
the New York based non-profit legal services organization, will now
actively involve the public in keeping tabs on Microsoft's aggressive
patent licensing and litigation behavior.

"Since the potential for Microsoft to cause significant public harm
through assertion of its patent portfolio is unmatched by any other firm
in the IT space, we have maintained an internal Microsoft Patent Watch
for some time now," said Dan Ravicher, PUBPAT's Executive Director.
"However, in light of the numerous reports we've received indicating
Microsoft's patent assertion strategy relies on isolating third parties
with secretive patent licensing discussions, we have decided to expand
the Microsoft Patent Watch to counteract such surreptitious efforts by
enlisting the help of the public in collecting as much information about
Microsoft's patent aggression as possible."

Prior to today's announcement, PUBPAT's Microsoft Patent Watch
initiative has undertaken to comprehensively review and analyze
Microsoft's patent portfolio in order to prepare for and respond to any
public harm caused by Microsoft's assertion of patents.  An early result
of PUBPAT's Microsoft Patent Watch efforts was the request for
reexamination filed by PUBPAT in April asking the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office to review and ultimately revoke Microsoft's key patent
on the FAT File System.  That request was granted last month.

Members of the public wishing to submit information to PUBPAT regarding
Microsoft's patent assertion activities may email
mspatentwatch at pubpat.org.

Contact:

Daniel Ravicher, Executive Director, Public Patent Foundation:
212-545-5337; info at pubpat.org; www.pubpat.org.

About PUBPAT:

The Public Patent Foundation ("PUBPAT") is a not-for-profit legal
services organization working to protect the public from the harms
caused by the patent system.  PUBPAT provides the general public,
particularly those persons or businesses otherwise deprived of access to
the system governing patents, with representation, advocacy, and
education.  To be kept informed of PUBPAT News, subscribe to the PUBPAT
News List by sending an email with "subscribe" in the subject line to
news-request at pubpat.org.  To be removed from the PUBPAT News List, send
an email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to:
news-request at pubpat.org.

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