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Show Us The Money

brian.smith@... 13th Aug 2009

I don't understand Master(?) Joe's point/rant. Of course it's about the money. Why does he think Microsoft and i4i - their tormentor in this case - and every other company in the world is in business if not to make money?

Patents are granted to give inventors a window of time in which to reap the rewards of their inventiveness. If a company steals that invention and refuses to pay then the inventing company has suffered material loss.

If the company happens to be massive with huge sales then the advantage they have gained by stealing the invention is accordingly all the larger.

Hence the payout.

Microsoft really should know better. They have been on the wrong end of corporate governance decisons so often now you'd think they would have learned the value of doing ethical business.

Then again, on the other hand, it could be that the judge is barking, i4i have made it all up and Microsoft will walk away at the end of the day owing nobody anything...

Who knows with litigation; especially American litigation.