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Thread ID: 55634 2005-03-15 10:54:00 Microsoft Attempts to Patent XML Processing in New Zealand vinref (6194) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
334412 2005-03-15 10:54:00 From the NZ Herald via Slashdot, this commentary by Adam Gifford (www.nzherald.co.nz) reports that MS has filed a patent in the NZ Patent Office claiming that it "...invented and owns the process whereby a word-processing document stored in a single XML file may be manipulated by applications that understand XML".

If that seems to confuse you, then it is because you don't expect that MS is trying to patent a process so general and pervasive, that you simply don't seem to believe it. Yes, that's right. MS is trying to say that whenever an application processes an XML file, MS owns the patent to that very process.

It would be hilarious if you didn't wonder that there is a chance that the "overloaded" NZ Patent Office may approve it.
vinref (6194)
334413 2005-03-15 11:33:00 Another cheap shot, they seem to be coming thick and fast these days. Find a patent office willing to accept your fraud and watch the money roll in :annoyed:

If they succeed there goes Open Office, for eg, which uses XML extensively.
Murray P (44)
334414 2005-03-15 12:06:00 You better watch yourself Murray, Ive patented hurling excessive abuse at companies that just down-right piss me off.

Windows is cool and all, but this is another thing altogether......
Chilling_Silence (9)
334415 2005-03-15 12:16:00 Wasent there an English guy who invented the hyperlink, and tried to charge everyone for clicking on one. Rob99 (151)
334416 2005-03-15 12:19:00 www.theregister.co.uk

The British version of Telecom.....
Metla (12)
334417 2005-03-15 19:25:00 And the dear old Reg again on XML in IE (www.theregister.co.uk) from 1999 and another more recent one on interoperability (www.theregister.co.uk) from Mr Opera.

One of the main points of XML was to have a cross platform, cross OS, cross application language. MS was originally involved in setting standards for XML but, I seem to remeber thay they threw their toys from the W3C playpen and went home. Since then they have compromised the standard (read, made it proprietary) and produced code that requires MS product (and a license) to read it, sound familiar.
Murray P (44)
334418 2005-03-16 06:18:00 Next there going to be trying to Patent Open source software sambaird (47)
334419 2005-03-16 09:36:00 ARGH!!! F**K THEM!!!

This really pisses me off... XML is open.... its for everyone...

Many of the programs that utilize XML is software that MS wants to get rid of...

It's trying to hit open source with something other that a suitcase full of money!!

Look at the programs that use it:
OpenOffice.org
Winamp
Direct Connect & Clones

Thats just damn annoying...

Didnt they just patent XML in the US?

They should be sued... profusely... and all the money won should go to Open Source charities...

W-T-F!!!!!!
hamstar (4)
334420 2005-03-16 10:49:00 This not the only country they are trying this on in, Microsoft has lodged the same patent in other countries as well. My email filled up from a mailing list ( I subscribe to) out cry today on this very subject and a few emails headed off in the direction of the New Zealand Patent Office re this matter (expressing concern and pointing out the same facts as some previous posts). beama (111)
334421 2005-03-16 11:02:00 I don't think Microsoft should be filing this patent, but people seem to be overlooking a couple of issues.

It says it's for the use of XML in word-processing.

Plus, it says "stored in a single XML file". Has anyone renamed a .sxw file to .zip and extracted the contents? Hullo! OpenOffice.org doesn't use a single XML file!

So really, the problem isn't that great.
agent (30)
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