[Mimedefang] Trend Micro patent idiocy - and so it begins

[WBrown at e1b.org]

Jan-Pieter wrote on 01/30/2008 04:15:28 PM:

> I don't know exactly who said it (IBM?) but in the current american
> legal system, it's wise to stock up on a couple of patents, just to
> defend yourself with, in case one of your competitors comes knocking
> at the door.

IBM usually leads in new patents being filed, but given their R&D efforts, 
that's not too surprising. And they have shared hundreds of them with the 
open source developers
 
> It's a bit like WMD. You won't use them, because you know the other
> guys have them, too. Well, in theory, at least.

The same can be said about lawyers.  :)  In fact, there's an old joke 
comparing lawyers to "nucular" (As the "leader of the free world" would 
pronounce it) 

Q: Why are lawyers like nuclear weapons?
A: If one side has one, the other side has to get one.
A: Once launched, they can't be recalled.
A: When they land, they prevent anything from functioning for the next 
hundred years.