[Am-info] Microsoft loses key patent ruling!

[Fred A. Miller]

"With little fanfare, a federal judge has issued a critical ruling supporti=
ng=20
a patent lawsuit against Microsoft brought by InterTrust, a digital rights=
=20
management company.=20

In a crucial preliminary hearing aimed essentially at setting the ground ru=
les=20
for the trial itself, Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong ruled strongly in favor=
=20
of InterTrust Technologies. The company is suing Microsoft on 144 counts of=
=20
patent infringement, contending that Microsoft products ranging from the=20
Windows operating system to the Xbox game system violate its digital rights=
=20
management patents.=20

No decision has been made on whether Microsoft actually has infringed on=20
InterTrust's patents. But the so-called Markman hearing was a critical stag=
e,=20
at which definitions of terms and the scope of the patents were decided.=20
Patent attorneys say a decision in favor of a patent holder greatly improve=
s=20
a lawsuit's ultimate chance of success. Armstrong's ruling was issued on Ju=
ly=20
3."

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-1026595.html

=2D-=20
Planet Earth - a subsidiary of Microsoft=AE.
We have no bugs in our software, Never!,=20
We do have undocumented added features,
that you will find amusing, at no added cost,=20
to you, at this time.