The patent references SGML and explains in detail how their system differs from it. Evidently the examiners agreed.

XML is trivially derived from SGML, which dates from 1986 or before. So sorry, but no.

I sincerely hope that the US reforms its utterly cretinous patent system soon. Because it is a *really bad* joke.

.... but the patent in question was filed in 1994, and so predates XML by 2 years

Im as pleased as the next man to see M$ take one on the chin, but please dear god not like this. Not with chickenshit "intellectual property" lawsuits.

Because the idea of taking some word processor metadata or whatever and encoding it in XML is totally novel and nonobvious. To a retarded amoeba. On drugs.

About the only redeeming feature of the whole sorry affair is that M$ have done more than their own share of patent bullying, so it is kind of poetic even if it isnt exactly justice.

I doubt the lawyers are humbled. As with all professional "defenders", setbacks only point up their importance and results in getting more money.

M$ keeps losing on this, but they've stolen enough elsewhere to fund more arrogance and stupidity. However, I think the end of an era is upon M$.

The whole point of XML is that it is an *Extensible* Markup Language. How can you possibly patent extending any 'office' XML document with custom data islands? The patent offices are clueless.

I can't find any specific wording in the XML specification that predicts it, unfortunately. Still, I'm sure there's something about 'not obvious to one skilled in the relevant art' in patent law - and this is obvious to the nth degree to anyone who understands XML.