"Microsoft needs to get rid of its chief IP lawyer and its
patent strategy if it wants further efforts at interoperability to
be taken seriously by open source vendors and users.In at least two
interviews with IT publications this week, Horacio Gutierrez
reaffirmed that the company intends to try and force open source
companies to sign patent licensing deals or face lawsuits...
"As far as I can tell, Microsoft just wants its competitors to
pay it money every time they breathe out. So what's a patent-holder
to do? The way Gutierrez seems to think will work is to threaten to
sue - but without actually doing anything - and hope that vendors
who don't want to call its bluff will be scared enough to sign a
licensing deal. Microsoft continually refuses to say what the
patents are - you're just going to have to trust that they're
valuable."
