Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• Licensing the Office 2007 UI - what is Microsoft's IP strategy?

  Jensen Harris announced that the Office 2007 Ribbon UI can be licensed . For the last year or so, one of the questions I've been asked again and again has been: "Can I use the new Office user interface in my own product?" I have to be honest - I'm a bit baffled at this whole thing. Note, they are not providing any common controls for the Ribbon. Rather, they are "licensing ... intellectual property rights in the UI (which cover both design and functionality) and offering a comprehensive Design Guidelines document that is a roadmap for developers implementing the UI." The license is free as long as you follow the guidelines, and is intended "[f]or those that want to build their own UI that takes advantage of our design guidelines." The reason, as Jensen describes, is that "the new Office user interface was a huge investment by Microsoft and the resulting intellectual property belongs to Microsoft." The next question, of course, are what rights does Microsoft actually have with the Ribbon... Posted Nov 27 2006, 07:24 AM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Software Development, Things that bother me, Things that amuse me, Copyright, Patent, Microsoft

• Gartner sends a cease and desist to remove a link

  Scoble passes along that James Governor, an analyst for RedMonk, received a C&D from Gartner for a link . Wow. I obviously haven't seen the letter, but I'm trying to imagine what possible legal recourse they have to linking to a publicly visible URL. Obviously there's no copyright infringement and there are standards you have to adhere to protect something as a trade secret. (Hint: putting something on a publicly visible server is not enough). Oh, and someone should tell Gartner that you can "redact" all the links you want but the Internet is forever . Here's the link - maybe I'll get my first C&D too. This is even worse than C&D'ing someone who is trying to help you . Tags: Gartner , RedMonk , CeaseAndDesist , Stupidity Posted Jul 11 2006, 01:15 PM by Tim with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Rants, Things that bother me, Things that amuse me, Copyright, Business

• Russian Software Developer Beats Pirate in Boxing Ring

  Apparently not content with legal remedies (after all, Russia is not known for it's anti-piracy efforts), a Russian software developer took matters into his own hands . In February, Smirnov saw the dealer selling CDs with his company’s software at a computer market without a license. Smirnov demanded that the dealer stop the illegal sale. A scuffle broke out, but they were stopped by the guard. After that, the pirate expressed a wish to continue the fight in the street, but Smirnov suggested a fitness center. The software development manager won 24-16 in 3 rounds. Posted Mar 31 2006, 03:49 AM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Software Development, Things that amuse me, Copyright

• Did you hear the one about the lawyer and the software engineer?

  phosita points to a post claiming that software engineers are stupid - at least when compared to lawyers. The author's underlying premise is that the legal profession has a high barrier to entry that, in turn, guarantees high salaries. Each step is a filter. For example, only 66% of students finish high school. Fewer complete a university degree. Even fewer are admitted to law school, and even fewer complete it. 30% of law school graduates are going to fail the bar exam, and only about 10% of these students will land a job at a good law firm. Finally, only about 20% new associates in a good law firm are likely to make partner. As a result, very competent people who could certainly serve as excellent lawyers are barred from giving legal advice to anyone (for example, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Michael Dell, and Rush Limbaugh). Also, the legal bar has an adverse effect on minorities, limiting the number of minorities available to serve as potential judges and legal advocates. But, these... Posted Mar 14 2005, 12:40 PM by Tim with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Rants, Law School, Things that amuse me

• Absurd Legal Fees?

  Microsoft gets a bill for $258M for legal fees. Read more here . I haven't seen anyone discuss this on the “blawgs” yet, but I am interested to hear what they say. Sure seems a bit excessive to me... What gets me most is the $1,000 an hour for “administrative work” (which I presume means a paralegal, etc). I know paralegals at some of the bigger firms here in NYC bill out at something like $100-$200 an hour. Anyone read The King of Torts ? :) Posted May 15 2004, 09:42 PM by Tim with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Things that bother me, Things that amuse me