Microsoft Faces $1.5bn Mp3 Payout

[skippybangkok]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6388273.stm

Microsoft must pay French phone equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent $1.52bn (£777m) after a US court ruled the IT giant had infringed audio patents.

Alcatel had sued Microsoft, saying two patents related to the standards used for converting audio into MP3 files had been breached.

Microsoft, said it may appeal against the federal jury's decision, saying it was "unsupported by the law or facts".

Alcatel said it was pleased with the San Diego court's decision.

"We made strong arguments supporting our view " said an Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman.

Concerned

Microsoft said it had already licensed the MP3 technology, paying $16m to a German firm Fraunhofer. ........................(see bbc)

SEEMS MICROSOFT ARE HAPPY TO INFRINGE ON COPY RIGHT IF HALF GIVEN A CHANCE

[cdnvic]

A US company sued in France. Very Thai related.

[skippybangkok]

A US company sued in France. Very Thai related.

comment is as interesting as a door knob......

can freakin think of any linkage you desire...i.e. I have a XP with thai language capability bought in thailand and has MP3 capability.

Microsoft complain about the level of piracy here, but themselves jump at the chance if they can.................. (which was the main reason I posted).....

[cdnvic]

Someone's a bit sensitive today

[skippybangkok]

ooopss agreed. Just heard this line once too many. How much is a KG of decaf

[pampal]

Quote from SkippyBangkok

Microsoft must pay French phone equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent $1.52bn (£777m) after aUS court ruled the IT giant had infringed audio patents.

Alcatel had sued Microsoft, saying two patents related to the standards used for converting audio into MP3 files had been breached.

Microsoft, said it may appeal against the federal jury's decision, saying it was "unsupported by the law or facts".

Alcatel said it was pleased with the San Diego court's decision.

"We made strong arguments supporting our view " said an Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman.

Concerned

Microsoft said it had already licensed the MP3 technology, paying $16m to a German firm Fraunhofer. ........................(see bbc)

SEEMS MICROSOFT ARE HAPPY TO INFRINGE ON COPY RIGHT IF HALF GIVEN A CHANCE

Quote from Cdnvic

A US company sued in France. Very Thai related.

Hey cdnvic,

How do you figure Microsoft was sued in France?

Is San Diego in France?

[Diablo Bob]

Quote from SkippyBangkok

Microsoft must pay French phone equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent $1.52bn (£777m) after aUS court ruled the IT giant had infringed audio patents.

Alcatel had sued Microsoft, saying two patents related to the standards used for converting audio into MP3 files had been breached.

Microsoft, said it may appeal against the federal jury's decision, saying it was "unsupported by the law or facts".

Alcatel said it was pleased with the San Diego court's decision.

"We made strong arguments supporting our view " said an Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman.

Concerned

Microsoft said it had already licensed the MP3 technology, paying $16m to a German firm Fraunhofer. ........................(see bbc)

SEEMS MICROSOFT ARE HAPPY TO INFRINGE ON COPY RIGHT IF HALF GIVEN A CHANCE

Quote from Cdnvic

A US company sued in France. Very Thai related.

Hey cdnvic,

How do you figure Microsoft was sued in France?

Is San Diego in France?

Maybe!

The San Diego area was a part of Mexico which used to have an emperor who was from France!

[pampal]

Quote from SkippyBangkok

Microsoft must pay French phone equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent $1.52bn (£777m) after aUS court ruled the IT giant had infringed audio patents.

Alcatel had sued Microsoft, saying two patents related to the standards used for converting audio into MP3 files had been breached.

Microsoft, said it may appeal against the federal jury's decision, saying it was "unsupported by the law or facts".

Alcatel said it was pleased with the San Diego court's decision.

"We made strong arguments supporting our view " said an Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman.

Concerned

Microsoft said it had already licensed the MP3 technology, paying $16m to a German firm Fraunhofer. ........................(see bbc)

SEEMS MICROSOFT ARE HAPPY TO INFRINGE ON COPY RIGHT IF HALF GIVEN A CHANCE

Quote from Cdnvic

A US company sued in France. Very Thai related.

Hey cdnvic,

How do you figure Microsoft was sued in France?

Is San Diego in France?

Maybe!

The San Diego area was a part of Mexico which used to have an emperor who was from France!

You mean Austro-German-Hungarian Emperor Maximillian

Maximilian was born in Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria, the second son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and his wife Sophie Friederike Dorothee Wilhelmine, Princess of Bavaria. His siblings were Emperor Franz Josef of Austria (sometimes identified by the English spelling Francis Joseph), Karl Ludwig, Archduchess Maria Anna Caroline Pia and Archduke Ludwig Viktor. Maximilian was born as His Imperial and Royal Highness Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, Prince Imperial and Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia.

Hardly French

[sbk]

Well, not Thai related at all, cdnvic is correct.

As such, it will be moved to the relevant forum: internet and computers.

[cdnvic]

They were sued by a French company.

[A_Traveller]

and their defense was they paid a licence fee to a German one....

[Rice_King]

can freakin think of any linkage you desire...i.e. I have a XP with thai language capability bought in thailand and has MP3 capability.

My keyboard has Thai characters. I live in Thailand, using a PC I bought in Thailand, powered by Thai electricity.

By Skippy's reasoning, I can post anything I want in here, whether it is Thai related or not.

Thanks for setting me straight.

[TAWP]

skippybangkok>> But you are attacking MS for the wrong case...they have paided Fraunhofer that is considered to be the de facto license-holder, but there is many issues concearning the format and processes around it leading to a legal mess that no-one can say for sure how it will end.

Another reasong to switch for OGG ofcourse.

[skippybangkok]

can freakin think of any linkage you desire...i.e. I have a XP with thai language capability bought in thailand and has MP3 capability.

My keyboard has Thai characters. I live in Thailand, using a PC I bought in Thailand, powered by Thai electricity.

By Skippy's reasoning, I can post anything I want in here, whether it is Thai related or not.

Thanks for setting me straight.

Your a fast learner - consider your self upgraded from apprentice to junior waffler

[nikster]

skippybangkok>> But you are attacking MS for the wrong case...they have paided Fraunhofer that is considered to be the de facto license-holder, but there is many issues concearning the format and processes around it leading to a legal mess that no-one can say for sure how it will end.

Another reasong to switch for OGG ofcourse.

Yeah, this is more like Evil Corp #1 sues Evil Corp #2 using ridiculous patent law in the U.S. One can assume MS was the target because they have the most cash in their pockets and of course have the most wide-spread mp3 capable software.

All mp3 capable devices to my knowledge license the technology from Fraunhofer Institute in Germany - mp3 was developed there and it holds all the relevant patents.

Alcatel apparently got some obscure patents related to the tech through their Acquisition of Lucent Technology and is now using them to sqeeze money out of MS - and once they won that case, they will most certainly go after everyone else as well.

The main problem is the U.S. patent law which allows anyone to patent pretty much anything. And also discourages people from doing research on prior art, it works like this: If you research and find prior art, you can't legally file a patent and the patent may be revoked on that grounds in the future. If you didn't look, then you also didn't find, and can patent away, leaving it to the USPTO to find prior art which it almost never does.

And once a patent is accepted, it's extremely hard for anyone to get around it. See other patent troll cases like the one against RIM, maker of Blackberry devices. They had to pay $700m to some IP holding (read: lawyer) company in order to continue selling their hardware.

[Rice_King]

Microsoft wins in second Alcatel-Lucent patent suit

Judge reverses $1.5 Billion decision...