Microsoft patent trolls Salesforce

Re:Microsoft patent trolls Salesforce by geoffc on Wednesday May 19, 2010 @11:45AM (#1361262)

This is unusual behavior for MS. I wonder if this is the opening move in a buyout/takeover gambit.

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Re:Microsoft patent trolls Salesforce by danieldon on Wednesday May 19, 2010 @12:20PM (#1361404)

The lawsuit might be unusual, but it's not unusual for Microsoft to try to get companies to pay licensing for trivial patents in its portfolio. They've been engaged in aggressively pursuing licensing deals around their patents for a number of years: http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft--license-to-deal/2100-1012_3-...

Most of the time companies just pay up, as in the recent Amazon licensing deal. Salesforce apparently decided not to.

Both this situation and the one with Amazon also suggest that they are now specifically targeting online/SaaS companies.

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Re:Microsoft patent trolls Salesforce by CoryMathews on Wednesday May 19, 2010 @11:46AM (#1361267)

expanding on "unusual" its only the 4th time they have done this.

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Re:Microsoft patent trolls Salesforce by geoffc on Wednesday May 19, 2010 @11:53AM (#1361290)

I don't have the specifics but I believe the other times were narrower claims against specific technologies. This is a broad brush stroke against an entire industry segment.

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