[IP] Re: Microsoft 'Frees' Office Formats

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

________________________________________
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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