Microsoft files Countersuit against Lucent

[bapenguin]

Lucent had previously filed a suit (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11345&highlight=lucent) against Microsoft for patent infringement with the XBox 360 dealing with MPEG 2 video. Now Microsoft has fired a salvo back (http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=17080) suing Lucent for invalid patents as well as patent infringement on Microsoft's products.In its countersuit, filed earlier this week, Microsoft claims that two of Lucent's patents are invalid. Lucent is also accused of infringing on Microsoft's own patents, and has been slammed by Microsoft's Tom Burt for opting to sue rather than take part in "meaningful license negotiations."

These kind of lawsuits are just stupidly ridiculous. It's a waste of money, time and energy.

[Varsity]

These kind of lawsuits are just stupidly ridiculous. It's a waste of money, time and energy.
I think Tom Burt there agrees.

[fitbabits]

Hey bap, I just changed the heading from 'Cuntersuit' to 'Countersuit'! Freud would be proud of you... ;)

[Jukey]

Edit: This comment was funnier before fitbabits changed the headline :o

[Serapth]

Hey bap, I just changed the heading from 'Cuntersuit' to 'Countersuit'! Freud would be proud of you... ;)

Freud and I liked the old title better! Plus think of all the traffic from Gametab it would have caused?!?!


Anyone else get the impression Microsoft is sick of being targetting by all these BS patents? They are starting to fight back much harder then they used to. I gotta feeling 10 years with a giant bullseye paint on their asses got kinda tiring.

With the reams and reams of defensive patents Microsoft has, I imagine they can stick it to lucent pretty good. I think Lucent started a fight they might regret. Besides, name another company in the world with a legal team with as much experience?

Shit, Microsofts legal team has more experience then the tabacco lobby... thats saying something! :D

[Ailer]

I wonder how far this will escalate? Lucent must have quite a number of patents that they could throw in microsofts face. Mutualy-assured destruction was the name of the game i believe.

[MrWonderstuff]

Well as Lucent didnt want to 'negotiate' its hardly surprising this has happend. I'm sure they could have made a nice little earner out of it.

[bapenguin]

Hey bap, I just changed the heading from 'Cuntersuit' to 'Countersuit'! Freud would be proud of you... ;)

LOL. Ooops.

[Kelegacy]

MS is doomed. This is like a car crash you can't look away from.

(calm down, I was kidding.)

[askheaves]

Lucent still exists? They used to be the "Stock you must have in your portfolio" for its stability, but after bottoming out at under $0.60 a share in 2002, it's barely back up to $2.50. Doesn't sound like defending a patent on a consortium-created standard is the best idea... RAMBUS anyone?

And today's news hasn't helped them much either.

[Jack Random]

I would love to get like 1% of the money that goes to utterly useless corporate pissing contests every year.

[Balthasar]

These kind of lawsuits are just stupidly ridiculous. It's a waste of money, time and energy.
Why exactly is this lawsuit stupid and a waste of money? If Microsoft are infringing on another company's intellectual property, especially where Microsoft stands to gain significantly, it most certainly warrants action on the part of the affected party.

[agentgray]

I'll bet the lawyers don't think it's a waste of money.

[Serapth]

Why exactly is this lawsuit stupid and a waste of money? If Microsoft are infringing on another company's intellectual property, especially where Microsoft stands to gain significantly, it most certainly warrants action on the part of the affected party.

Alot of it depends on the validity of the patent in the first place. A number of exceedingly stupid patents have been granted in the last decade or so. These stupid patents in turn lead to stupid lawsuits.

[askheaves]

The acronym MPEG has the word "Group" in it. Far as I can tell, Lucent didn't design the mpeg compression scheme and the patent doesn't even reference the codec. It's a patent from 1993 which protects 'adaptive decoding of video' or such mumbo-jumbo. If video decoding as a concept is patentable, then we may as well allow patents on the mouse-click again (ha!). And why only the XBox360 being targetted? The same reason poor people aren't kidnapped and held for ransom.

[bapenguin]

Why exactly is this lawsuit stupid and a waste of money? If Microsoft are infringing on another company's intellectual property, especially where Microsoft stands to gain significantly, it most certainly warrants action on the part of the affected party.

Just so you know, I'm not even going to debate anything with you anymore. So this will just rest as it is.

[UglyPimp]

This site is SO PRO-SONY. Like, oh my god for cereal.

[XenonCJ]

If I was Microsoft, I'd suspend support for MS products at Lucent, and do a software piracy audit on them.

[Zanzibar]

Microsoft has more lawyers than the populations of many countries. Why you would want to face such an army is beyond me.

Microsoft has proved time and again that they'd rather pay millions than have to use that army, even though they've won most of the time. Why wouldn't Lucent strike a deal?

[Serapth]

Microsoft has more lawyers than the populations of many countries. Why you would want to face such an army is beyond me.

Microsoft has proved time and again that they'd rather pay millions than have to use that army, even though they've won most of the time. Why wouldn't Lucent strike a deal?

Frankly I think Microsoft has changed their stance there. They have grown sick of striking deals, and this is another step in it. First was when they refused to buckle in to that BS plugin web patent a few months back.

[Balthasar]

Just so you know, I'm not even going to debate anything with you anymore. So this will just rest as it is.
You editorialize your news posts, but don't have the stomach to defend your comments? I'm internet-heartbroken. :(

[bapenguin]

You editorialize your news posts, but don't have the stomach to defend your comments? I'm internet-heartbroken. :(

No I'll defend them. Just not against you.

[Lister]

No I'll defend them. Just not against you.

ooooooh snap!

[Serapth]

No I'll defend them. Just not against you.


That that the internet equivalent of:
http://astro.pas.rochester.edu/~dawnp/icons/hand.gif

[Balthasar]

Microsoft has more lawyers than the populations of many countries. Why you would want to face such an army is beyond me.
From a legal standpoint I agree with you, but I am loathe to see any company that is potentially being infringed upon just sit back and say "well, fuck, what's the point?"

Why wouldn't Lucent strike a deal?
How can we be sure this was a legitamite option? You're a sports fan, so you know how lawyers talk out of both sides of their mouth when it comes to things like contracts with athletes. The same strategy could apply here.

[Balthasar]

That that the internet equivalent of:
http://astro.pas.rochester.edu/~dawnp/icons/hand.gif
Ohhh dis! Always mature on the news forums.

[Zanzibar]

From a legal standpoint I agree with you, but I am loathe to see any company that is potentially being infringed upon just sit back and say "well, fuck, what's the point?"
That's an excellent point.
How can we be sure this was a legitamite option? You're a sports fan, so you know how lawyers talk out of both sides of their mouth when it comes to things like contracts with athletes. The same strategy could apply here.I'm basing an assumption on recent history with Microsoft licensing the rumble stuff etc and settling with the EU, where Microsoft hasn't shied away from negotiating, but yeah, this lawsuit by Lucent may have been to get some leverage with Microsoft.

[agentgray]

You editorialize your news posts, but don't have the stomach to defend your comments? I'm internet-heartbroken. :(
Isn't editorialized newsposts what this site is all about?

Lucent (which has ties to telcos) is dead in the water. Naturally they are going after untapped markets like thier big brothers. Microsoft has money. Oh...net neutrality? Yeah, we have money too.

They cannot innovate and find new ways to make money so they sue for it. Besides, Lucent doesn't hold the complete patent on MPEG4. Why don't they go after DirectTV? My HD broadcasts are in MPEG4, and I don't see anywhere on my system or DTV's website that they have licensed from them.

[Balthasar]

Isn't editorialized newsposts what this site is all about?
He can editorialize all he wants (its not like I can stop him), but it's weak if you are going to put your two cents in the discussion to then say "I refuse to respond to your comments, sir!" It's not like I was saying something intentionally inflammatory. I don't see what was wrong with the question I raised.

They cannot innovate and find new ways to make money so they sue for it. Besides, Lucent doesn't hold the complete patent on MPEG4. Why don't they go after DirectTV? My HD broadcasts are in MPEG4, and I don't see anywhere on my system or DTV's website that they have licensed from them.
But they're not suing for MPEG4, so I don't think the analogy really works here. They are very specifically suing for MPEG-2.

[Rakael]

Balthasar, shut the fuck up.

[absolut taco]

A countersuit is probably what Sony should have done to keep their controllers rumbling...

[agentgray]

He can editorialize all he wants (its not like I can stop him), but it's weak if you are going to put your two cents in the discussion to then say "I refuse to respond to your comments, sir!" It's not like I was saying something intentionally inflammatory. I don't see what was wrong with the question I raised.


But they're not suing for MPEG4, so I don't think the analogy really works here. They are very specifically suing for MPEG-2.
I stand corrected.

[Speed_D]

Besides, name another company in the world with a legal team with as much experience?
I'm sure many other large corporations have legal teams with experience equal to or greater than Microsoft's legal team. What they don't have is a $50 billion dollar cash reserve.

[moron]

Anyone else get the impression Microsoft is sick of being targetting by all these BS patents?

You mean patents like the one Microsoft got for FAT32?

http://news.com.com/Microsofts+file+system+patent+upheld/2100-1012_3-6025447.html?part=rss&tag=6025447&subj=news

Cheers

[51|RandoM]

Microsoft has more lawyers than the populations of many countries. Why you would want to face such an army is beyond me.

Microsoft has proved time and again that they'd rather pay millions than have to use that army, even though they've won most of the time. Why wouldn't Lucent strike a deal?

Well, people have litigated vs. Microsoft and won before.

"Microsoft agreed to pay Sun $700 million to resolve antitrust issues pending against it in a March 2002 lawsuit, and another $900 million to resolve patent issues."

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure 1.6 billion is not chump change. :-) This was a settlement, but that is usually preferable to letting the courts decide the final outcome anyways.

[copasetic]

pfft, it may be a wast of time and energy, but Ill be the lackey corporate lawyer collecting the paycheck :)

[Wasson_]

Heheh...Idk what this is about, but at first glance I though the title was;

"Microsoft files counterstrike againt Lucent"

[lockwoodx]

These kind of lawsuits are just stupidly ridiculous. It's a waste of money, time and energy. [/QUOTE]



A waste of time, and energy? Sounds like microsoft allright.