A couple of days ago, Steve Ballmer was out and about spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt about possible IP violations in Linux.
The Microsoft chief executive asserted that open source "is not free", and referred to the possibility that Microsoft may sue GNU/Linux vendors.
Today, there are reports that a US federal jury has found Microsoft infringed audio patents held by Alcatel-Lucent and should pay $US1.52 billion in damages! The boot, it would appear, is firmly on the other foot.
That is something for Ballmer to muse about in a quiet moment (if he ever has one).
These statements about IP violations in Linux are being made by the CEO of a company which is being sued by AT&T for sending development work overseas to avoid US patents. Lest we forget, this is the same company which was successfully sued by Eolas for infringing patents relating to browser plug-ins.
There's more. A small company named Visto is suing Microsoft for alleged mobile email and data patent infringements; another firm VirnetX is taking action against the Redmond giant for alleged patent infringement in VPN. Remember, Timeline successfully sued Microsoft for patent infringement in SQL Server.
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