Apparently, Microsoft has decided that the best way to save money on litigation and to create a more trusting environment surrounding patents is to publish their own patents online. This is happening as the ever so popular "patent troll" is increasingly suing companies because they keep the patents they purchase secret in order to carry out their goals. By fostering a transparent environment on patents, it will be more difficult for patent trolls to reign over unsuspecting companies. It seems that companies are finally starting to step up and figure out what to do with the patent trolls. Microsoft hopes to lead with this example and demonstrate to other tech companies that they should publish their own patents as well to help prevent frivolous lawsuits. Hopefully it doesn't end up backfiring and Microsoft somehow ends up destroying their competitive advantages. It will also be interesting to see if other companies take the lead on this and begin publishing their own patents as well.
Here is the link to the original article: http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2013/02/21/microsoft-to-publish-patent-catalogue-in-move-to-deter-litigation/
Glad that some companies have finally started trying to fix the problem with patent trolls. While transparency might be a good idea to start with, I feel like there will be heavy backlash from other companies as they might not feel as comfortable.
ReplyDeleteVery nice read Adam. I think what Microsoft is trying to do is smart and maybe to stop all those crazy law suits from continuing. I wrote on article a couple weeks ago about how companies spend more money on law suits than R&D. Definitely check it out!
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