Microsoft illegally took technology used to link Microsoft's Excel program with its Access database application via a single spreadsheet from a Guatemalan inventor, Carlos Armando Amado, lawyers stated during opening statements. Carlos Armando Amado said he filed a patent application in 1990 and that he unsuccessfully tried to sell it to Microsoft two years later. Microsoft began using his software without permission in various versions of Access, such as Access 95, 97, 2000 and 2002, according to Amado, who said he created the technology while he was a graduate student at Stanford University. Amado is seeking damages that could exceed $500 million in the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Central California. The suit did not specify a figure for damages, but Amado's attorneys estimated that it was about $2 per software copy sold, which would equal about half a billion dollars based on the software sold to date. The jury trial is expected to last two weeks. Source: Winbeta
I'm sure if the guy wins his case he would be more than happy with a couple of million but don't see them awarding $500 million!?
Not that Microsoft will actually care. $500 Million is just pocket change compared to what that company is worth.
No wonder. So, what else is new? Microsoft plays hardball. And they think that they can always get away with it because they are Microsoft. This comes to me as no surprise, since this is not the first time I have heard about such cases. Anyone can check out the cases of Sendo and Burst.com as an example of typical Microsoft behavior. As you will see, the evidence is overwhelming. Here are the links ... Sendo accuses Microsoft of dirty tricks http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-978687.html Microsoft's media monopoly http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/10/29/microsoft_media_one/print.html Goliath crushes David http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/10/30/microsoft_media_two/print.html Burst.com accuses Microsoft of theft http://news.com.com/2100-1023-937501.html Microsoft ordered to uncover old e-mails http://news.com.com/2100-1032-5074390.html Burst, Microsoft agree to settle suit http://news.com.com/2102-1030_3-5611028.html Microsoft antitrust case takes Linux twist http://news.com.com/2100-1016-1023497.html Ballmer memo targets Linux http://news.com.com/2100-1016-1013124.html Microsoft sends message with Unix deal http://news.com.com/2102-1016_3-1007715.html Microsoft protecting rights-or Windows? http://news.com.com/2100-1023-983017.html
Nice first post, fhaidach. In a perfect world, the anti-trust suit would have broken MS's back, and cleared a path for superior technology in the mass market. Unfortunately, payola goes a lot further than decency and common sense, so they're still as wiley as ever. Fortunately, they're products are so obviously flawed and so wildly counter-innovative that they themselvs have opened that path unwittingly. -AT
