In an effort to help shield the Linux community from patent trolls targeting open-source technologies, Microsoft has joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), an organization that amasses patents and provides legal and licensing support for Linux and other open-source projects. With its joining of the OIN, Microsoft has provided 60,000 of its software patents to … continue reading
In May, the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) was signed into U.S. law. At the signing ceremony, President Obama remarked: “Unfortunately, all too often, some of our competitors, instead of competing with us fairly, are trying to steal these trade secrets from American companies. And that means a loss of American jobs, a loss of … continue reading
JavaScript has exploded. It’s everywhere: the browser, the server, your phone, IoT devices, and more. However, JavaScript can be brittle. The language was notoriously designed and developed in just 10 days, and its creator, Brendan Eich, has become JavaScript’s most prominent apologizer. JavaScript is controversial. Rarely have we seen a language divide software developers so … continue reading
Apple and Ericsson are putting an end to their longstanding patent dispute. The companies have signed a global patent license agreement to settle the litigation. The two companies have been fighting for almost three years over patents and royalties since Apple’s global license agreement with Ericsson expired. According to Ericsson, Apple was using Ericsson’s technology … continue reading
In the realm of patent assertion, there is one man who stands head and shoulders above the rest: Erich Spangenberg. Of the more than 1,600 companies he has sued for patent infringement in the past decade, the most recent is Atlassian. Not that you’d know it was Spangenberg doing the suing; the action comes from … continue reading
Just months after celebrating Java’s 20th birthday (and the qualities that made it the most used mainstream programming language), the programming world is abuzz with rumors that Java is doomed. In September, it was widely reported that Oracle had laid off a significant number of its Java evangelism team, and then, in October, InfoWorld ran … continue reading
I have, for some truly inexplicable reason, spent a lot of time in the company of IP lawyers in the past month. This includes software industry folks, professors, and even a general counsel for the MPAA. I am not a lawyer, I don’t often wear suits, and I was thrown out of a few colleges … continue reading
In nature, new threats sometimes arise to threaten the survival of a particular species. Occasionally, the threatened population will include a minority that has a genetic mutation that, while generally detrimental, coincidentally provides a defense to the new threat. For example, a mutation that prevents an animal from properly absorbing certain nutrients may also prevent … continue reading
Google Glass may be coming back to the market soon. According to the Wall Street Journal, eyewear maker Luxottica is currently developing a new version of Google’s augmented reality eyewear. Google shut down its Google Glass Explorer Program in January, but said it was still committed to launching it as a consumer product. A spokeswoman … continue reading
Microsoft has announced it is opening up a new pilot program with Specialisterne to hire full-time employees that are on the autism spectrum. “People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft; each individual is different, some have amazing ability to retain information, think at a level of detail and depth or excel in … continue reading
Apple and Ericsson’s fight over a patent agreement continues. Both companies have been arguing for about two years over patents and royalties since Apple’s global license agreement with Ericsson expired. Earlier this week, Apple filed a lawsuit in the United States District for the Northern District of California, asking the court to rule that it … continue reading
Microsoft isn’t happy about Google’s disclosure of a zero-day vulnerability in Windows 8.1, and the company has publicly voiced its displeasure. In a blog post entitled “A Call for Better Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure,” senior director of Microsoft’s Security Response Center Chris Betz admonished Google for disclosing the vulnerability only two days before Microsoft was scheduled … continue reading
