RE: [xml-dev] Microsoft's deeply cynicalappealto"standards compl iance"

["Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <clbullar@ingr.com>]

"I have a feeling there were a lot of patents filed in the 90s on art that
was published in the 70s and 80s."

Got that right.  Unfortunately following the BTW link, we find this:

"You are about to use the world's largest database. With over 100 terabytes
and 10 billion web pages archived from 1996 to the present, the Wayback
Machine puts the history of the World Wide Web and the sum of all human
knowledge at your fingertips."

sort of emphasizing the POV that no knowledge before the Web is worth
having.

And that POV is why they file patents without regard to prior art and get 
away with it clean.  As the twig is bent.. goes the saying.

"We have met the enemy and he is us." - POGO

len

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Winer [mailto:dave@userland.com]

OK, in all seriousness...

Also, there was more news yesterday in the software patents area.

http://scriptingnews.userland.com/backissues/2001/10/25#patentbustingForFunA
ndProfit