CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLI: Sun's James Eagleton says Microsoft guilty of "patent terrorism"

In the most recent round of the Microsoft vs. Linux debate, Sun's systems product manager James Eagleton lobs the latest volley, stating that the Redmond-based software giant's business tactics amount to "patent terrorism," and that the current climate it's created is akin to a "cold war." Eagleton goes on to offer that Sun and even IBM have much fairer approaches to patent protection which don't go against "the spirit of innovation," in the way he claims Microsoft's policies do. If the dubious arrangements Microsoft has agreed upon with Novell and Linspire didn't convince you that something was rotten in the state of Washington, comments like sour-grapes-Eagleton's should at least make you take pause.

[Via The Inquirer]

[Brian @ Jul 25th 2007 10:35PM]

I think he's right...

[BananaBoat @ Jul 25th 2007 10:43PM]

The real question is; Should you blame the company with the patent policies, or the patent office that allows it? Legal is legal, in my book. Good for them, for making the most (legally) that they can out of the system as it currently is.

[AlexP @ Jul 25th 2007 10:48PM]

Ballmer hu-aackbur! Ballmer hu-aackbur!

[Don Wilson @ Jul 25th 2007 10:49PM]

Sun is still around?

[Dave @ Jul 25th 2007 10:52PM]

I like that everyone is using the word "terrorism" now for everything. It weakens it.

[John Doe @ Jul 26th 2007 1:09AM]

Good.

[PJK @ Jul 26th 2007 7:41AM]

You're just being a word terrorist, and also a grammar Nazis, and a punctuation fascist!

[3rdsun @ Jul 25th 2007 11:04PM]

If Microsoft is guilty of patent terrorism, Apple must be the patent Hitler waging a patent war. Just saying that Apple attacks anybody who comes within a hair of their patents. Nobody gets spared, from small Chinese companies to charities. No doubt MS might be guilty but some people turn a blind eye to the real criminals.

[Miles @ Jul 26th 2007 1:42AM]

Just shut up.

[emjoi @ Jul 26th 2007 1:56AM]

Microsoft are Patent Terrorists.
Apple are Nazis.
The Linux guys are Commies.
Sun are.... ummm... 19th Century Ottoman Turks?

[Jamar @ Jul 26th 2007 5:54AM]

"Nobody gets spared, from small Chinese companies to charities."
I'd believe you... if I didn't see loads of iPod knockoffs while I was in China. The best part- these small Chinese companies usually have an inside link to government people, while Apple apparently doesn't.

[johnnyg0 @ Jul 26th 2007 8:50AM]

MILES HAS SPOKEN!!

The world is now a safer place.

[Dave @ Jul 25th 2007 11:15PM]

lol godwins law^^, but then again M$ is somewhat controlling

[John Doe @ Jul 26th 2007 1:08AM]

I think Godwin's Law needs to be revamped to include the term terrorism.

[evo @ Jul 26th 2007 4:01AM]

Don't get worked up. Eagleton uses the phrase, "loosely described as patent terrorism", so the comparison is not particularly strong.

The reason he is making these comments is because part of Sun's strategy around open source software is that they provide indemnification for customers, meaning that if someone like Microsoft files a patent suit, customers will not be held liable for infringement. This is a big deal for large customers making big investments in infrastructure.

This story is just a reminder to Sun's bread-and-butter enterprise customers that open source software from Sun is "safer" than open source software from other providers or which was just downloaded off the 'net. Nothing to see here, move along.