Microsoft Goes to War Against Open Source
According to vnunet.com, Microsoft is planning to launch lawsuits against several open source projects for a violation of 235 patents. The targets, which include the linux kernel (42 infringements), the Gnome and KDE projects (65 infringements) and OpenOffice (45 infringements) are all cornerstones of the open source community, representing a major push by Microsoft to collect on licensing fees. According to the article, this effort is culmination of an effort that began in 2002 (suggesting a very Stalinesque five-year plan) to increase Microsoft patents.
Whether or not the effort will backfire by damaging Microsoft's marketplace credibility is still open to question. vnunet.com brought up the example of SCO, which sued IBM for copyright violations and later lost corporate customers (and a great deal of revenue) disgusted at its heavy-handed tactics. Microsoft has a much different market position than SCO, as most computer Windows users, completely unfamiliar with Linux, would likely attest and as such would be less at-risk from backlash.
