[IP] Re: fun -- Microsoft 'Frees' Office Formats

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

________________________________________
From: James Cox [james@imaj.es]
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 7:29 AM
To: David Farber
Cc: ip
Subject: Re: [IP] Re:   Microsoft 'Frees' Office Formats

Dave,

To better visualize the scope of this 'spec' - here's a photo of it
printed out:

http://blog.janik.cz/images/OOXMLSpec.png

any sensible review and implementation of this is madness.

-james

On 18 Feb 2008, at 12:08, David Farber wrote:

>
> ________________________________________
> From: Michael O'Dell [mo@ccr.org]
> Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 12:42 AM
> To: David Farber
> Subject: Re: [IP] Microsoft 'Frees' Office Formats
>
> David Farber wrote:
>
>> Documentation for the formats has been available by request on a
>> royalty
>> free basis for a while, but putting it under the OSP gives
>> developers cover
>> from lawsuits.
>
> "MS Promises"?
> (izzat a new component of Office for pre-nuptial agreements?)
>
> call me a cynic, but that stretches the fabric of credulity
> beyond plastic failure.
>
> the right way to do that would be to cede the specs and
> all relevant patents to the public domain.
>
> then there will be no question as to whether the
> rug might later attempt to take flight.
>
> i believe that's what Bell Labs did with the Unix "setuid" patent
>
>        -mo
>
>
> -------------------------------------------


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