What's this? Microsoft® trying to sue Openoffice.org users? Is it because of Oo.org's support for Microsoft® Office's documents? This topic is pretty old but just want to discuss it.

Where did you read that? You've to post a link... And since this is non-technical, it should be on general too

This is the link: http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,117793,00.asp and it is bothering me so much.

*Just transfer the thread to the appropriate room. TY

It's not surprising since MS did try to patent binary code...

Hmmm, Let's see! How many ideas do you think MS got from the already established Unix, then later Linux OS's to improve windows.

I don't think anything will come of it.

KC

thats pathetic! wasnt it microsoft that "stole" the concept from word perfect in the first place?

Im actually thinking of the MS Office file formats. Aren't they patented?

just because they are patented doesnt mean someone else cant support it. I mean Ford Chevy and GM are petented but yet a GM or Chevy mechanic can support a ford truck with repair and improvements. correct me if i am wrong on that also correct me if I am wrong on this but isnt there a time limit after something is patented like say a drug or new invention b4 someone else can copy the idea something about recuperation R&D costs.

I think everytime M$ tries to sue someone they should be sued for the same thing I mean heck Bill gates has stolen practically everything M$ was built on in one way or another and the things he didnt steal he bought from some shmuck and advertised the ccrap out of it. that is also the only reason they have gotten as big as they have.

again all in my opinion.

???

that article makes a big deal out of nothing.

every OSS project is open to be sued, so are its users, ifa company chooses to. As OSS projects are free, theres really no big company behind a lot of them, so users of a product cant be indemnified by the project itself, nore would a project with no big backing be able to afford a defense in court.


its always been this way.

but what possible reasons could an Openoffice user be sued? using a software using those file formats?

You see.. I just do upon those that do that to me.. someone sends me a .doc file... I just send it back in OpenOffice or Abi word format. When they ask what kind of file it is.. I just let them know what to use.. and also mention that its free..

Either that or I use rtf or plain text format.. which about any word processor can view with correct formatting..

and my classmates will grumble at me the next day (don't care that much). guess i'll do that next school year. helping promote opensource.

but do you know anybody who has been sued due to using such formats?

Crap. That lawyer is a shill for M$...

The bottom line is this,...

If I buy what is packaged to be a six pack of Coke, and it turns out that Pepsi made it,... Coke can't turn around and sue me for drinking the six pack.... But they can sue Pepsi...

It's the same issue with the SCO cases against end users,... They can sue the vender, not the end user, unless the end user had a license agreement barring that activity (or to use my Coke analogy, say I had and agreement with Coke to only drink Coke products... ). The developers violate the patents, not the innocent end user...

This is FUD plain and simple.

Coke is different from softwares where there are license agreements. Most open source software developers do not hold themselves liable on how the users use the software they create. Therefore, Microsoft's grudge will directly fall on the users.

why doesnt Microsoft just sue all opensource users and get it over and done with. I wish they would spend more time rectifying there cr*p products then chasing other peoples ones. If they go after users it will be a quick way to alienate themselves.

I feel relieved right now after receiving a reply, from emailing users@openoffice.org, confirming that the MS Office formats that Openoffice.org uses are not copied but are results of the developers' hard work.